The Dark Circle
by xxxEmma3xxx
Summary: A new order, the Dark Circle, has arisen to replace the fallen Lord Voldemort. Harry has an idea how to stop it, but he needs help... Features Harry, Snape, Gabrielle Delacour & others... R/R! Finally Finished!
1. Back to Hogsmeade

Disclaimer: No I don't own these characters, and I am not going to commit character-theft upon them, so you can all have them back when I'm finished.  
  
This random little scene just invaded my brain the other day, so I'm posting it, thinking maybe it will become the prologue of something longer. Or, it could be the epilogue of something. R/R and tell me what you think...  
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H. J. Potter had just returned from several years of working on mainland Europe. He had come to Hogsmeade, for the first time since he'd graduated Hogwarts almost a decade ago, and was walking around, noting how much it had changed and trying to remember how it used to be.  
  
It was nice, he reflected, that no one recognized him now. He had grown up quite a bit - he'd won the battle with his hair so that it now sat flat on his head the way hair ought to do; he'd gotten small, unobtrusive glasses....he even had learned to enchant his scar to make it less noticeable. If he concentrated very hard on maintaining the flesh-like color, he could make it completely invisible, at least for short periods.  
  
The name H. J. Potter looked very nice on paper, much more imposing than "Harry" did. He was still Harry to his friends, his family, and himself, but the name change was necessary so that he was no longer immediately picked out of the crowd as "The Boy who Lived." In his adult life, Harry was blending in perfectly with everybody else.  
  
For this reason, he was certainly startled, walking across the street into the good old Three Broomsticks, to hear a soft, familiar voice in his ear... "Well, well, well... if it isn't The Famous Harry Potter..."  
  
Harry froze for just a second. Then, without looking behind him, he asked tentatively, "Snape?" Receiving no answer, he turned around and was suddenly face to face with his old teacher. "Professor, I haven't seen you in years! How'd you recognize me?" Harry almost laughed when he saw that Snape looked almost exactly the same as before - unhealthy and unfriendly and with the same icy stare.  
  
"Oh, how could anyone fail to recognize such a celebrity?" he asked sarcastically. He looked into Harry's face for just a minute. "You managed to get rid of your scar, though?" he asked.   
  
"Oh, no. I only enchanted it so people can't see. I figured the spell out myself," he added, a little proudly. He couldn't help but feel like a child again in the presence of this man who had always loomed so large and frightening... "although now", Harry noticed with amusement, "I'm taller than he is".  
  
"Figured it out?" Snape sneered, bringing Harry even further back into his childish mindset. "*I* could have taught you that spell." Of course, Harry realized. Snape's own scar was certainly pretty well hidden most times.  
  
"Speaking of teaching...are you still at Hogwarts?"  
  
"Yes." said Snape, then quickly added, "I hope you're not thinking of applying there. We haven't got any vacancies. And I will take the greatest care that it stays that way, for as long as you are out job-seeking."  
  
"Don't worry - I have no intention of trying to work at Hogwarts." Then, unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "Did you ever get the Defense Against the Dark Arts job?"  
  
Snape hesitated. "I was offered the position. I declined."  
  
"But why? You always wanted-"  
  
"I thought it best that the new Defense teacher be a simple, congenial young lady. There is no reason to frighten the students by having me teach the course, or by dragging Moody out of retirement again, or anything of the sort. Had the Dark Lord not fallen, I might have said otherwise." Harry got the feeling that Snape wasn't telling the truth, but figured that it was none of his business. "Of course, for those children who enjoy being terrorized and learning to do a little terrorizing themselves, I do run the dueling club now... It is a *real* dueling club..." he added, seeing the disgusted look forming on Harry's face. "Nothing like what that fool Lockhart tried to set up."  
  
Harry laughed a little, remembering Lockhart's sad attempt at teaching the students to duel. Speaking with Snape of Hogwarts naturally led to memories of the torturous Potions classes in the dungeons, though. "You know, my kids will be going to Hogwarts in a couple years... I suppose you'll look forward to terrorizing them like you terrorized me..."  
  
Snape narrowed his eyes. "Potter, I do not look forward to ever meeting any of your children, just as I did not look forward to meeting *you* after knowing James. However, if I do have the misfortune to come across them, I shall certainly do my best to be as unfair and menacing as possible. I wouldn't want to disappoint precious Potter's precious children, or fail to live up to the stories they've undoubtedly heard from you."  
  
He said this with a perfect mixture of spite and seriousness, which made Harry laugh again. Somehow, without the derisive laughter of Harry's enemies that had always been present during Potions classes, Snape's sarcasm was much easier to bear... it even bordered on being funny.  
  
"Well, Potter, I've got to be going. I've got work to do. With any luck, I will never see you again. Until then," Snape said silkily, holding out his hand with a fake pleasantness that made Harry's skin crawl. They shook hands very briefly and then parted ways, hoping to avoid any further meetings... though, if truth be told, both had a funny feeling that that would not be possible....  
  
  
  
--- The End ---  
  
Or is it? Like I said, this might be the prologue for something. It was just a little tidbit that popped into my head one day...should I continue it? Review and tell me (please!). 


	2. The Dark Circle

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I am nobody, etc.  
I decided to do away with Gabrielle Delacour's accent, because it's hard to write and it annoys me. However, if everybody loves hearing 'Arry and zo instead of "Harry" and "so", I'll put it in in the next chapters.  
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About seven years after the chance encounter in Hogsmeade...  
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"All right, here it is. See that barrier between platforms nine and ten? We just walk through it. Let's split up to make it less conspicuous - Julien, you come with me and your mother will take Sophie."  
Julien Potter watched his father walk confidently right through a wall. He closed his eyes and strode forward himself, surprised to see that he managed to go directly into solid concrete with no problem. Once on the other side, he turned around and saw his mother burst through the barrier, holding Sophie's hand.  
"We made it, Harry!" she laughed, shaking out her long, silvery-blond hair. We ran at it like a couple of madwomen! At _my_ school we never had to do anything so ridiculous."  
Harry smiled. "Then your school must have been very boring, Gabrielle. And besides, acting like a madwoman becomes you."  
"Oh, you-" Whatever good-natured teasing Gabrielle wanted to respond with was cut short by the whistle of the Hogwarts Express.  
Turning to his children, Harry said, "All right, this is it. Before you board, let me just tell you a few more things. Remember to-"  
Julien rolled his eyes and interrupted, "Really, Dad, we've heard it all. We've gotten the 'When You Go To Hogwarts' lecture a million times!"  
"Oh, let's have it, Dad. You can give us a whole speech and then we'll miss the train," joked Sophie. "Just like you."  
Finally Harry gave up. The Potters said their goodbyes and gave their hugs, and Harry reached out at the last second to ruffle Julien's short blond hair. Julien looks so much like his mother, he thought for the millionth time, except for the green eyes...  
Sophie, on the other hand, had dark hair, but it fell neatly into silky waves that shone in the light. She'd also inherited her mother's mischievous blue gaze...and Harry strongly suspected that she'd inherited some of the Veela-charm as well. After Sophie got on the train, she leaned out of a window and waved one last time.  
Harry watched her, feeling a touch of sadness. "Wow... somehow we've gotten _old_, Gabby - I remember my first time on the Express like it was yesterday."  
Gabrielle leaned against him. "Well, _mon cher_, you _are_ four years older than I am... but _I_ still feel young!"  
"You still look it. You're still as beautiful as you were the day I met you."  
She laughed. "That doesn't say much, Harry... the day you met me, I seem to remember that I was underwater, tied to a slimy rock and waiting for my dearest sister to come rescue me."  
"Oh, yeah... the good old Triwizard Tournament... that certainly was something." He smiled at the memory. "But I was referring to the day I _really_ met you - when we were both surveying the damage of that Harpy raid outside of Paris..."  
"Yes, and you tapped me on the shoulder, so I Stunned you," she giggled, "because I thought you were a Harpy come to attack me! Remember that?"  
He made a face. "I've tried to forget…"  
Mr. and Mrs. Potter held hands and watched the Hogwarts Express chug out of the station.  
That evening, with the children gone, the Potter household was unusually tranquil. What the young couple didn't know, however, was that in some places, it was not nearly so peaceful…

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It was a moonless night. The stars too were invisible, and the world seemed shrouded in an inky blackness. In a quiet English forest, a little clearing in the woods where nobody ever visited, something was happening to disturb the stillness that was usually found there...  
A wizard dressed all in black materialized between the trees. He walked slowly out into the open space and looked around. "Is anyone here? Come out," he hissed into the surrounding forest.  
At that, some others came out from behind trees. Others soon Apparated, and within minutes there were over two dozen of them. Silent, clad completely in black, the wizards waited around cautiously until somebody took charge.  
It was the one who had spoken originally. "Is this everybody? Let's assemble orderly somehow," he suggested, with an American accent. He looked around and noticed that many of the others wore traditional Death Eater hoods or masks. Some even wore robes with the Dark Mark embroidered on the collar. At the order to "assemble", these wizards wordlessly formed themselves into a circle immediately, and the others soon followed suit.  
"Ah, that's much better," said the American. "I see some of you are experienced at this kinda thing. You look like a strong group. Good. And you're here because this is another chance for the Dark Order to take over, and you maybe think it can be done. I'm confident - I've brought some Dark wizards from America, and I'm quite a leader myself. I came here because I knew this was the best place to find support. I want to take control and make things how they should be! I want to take what should be ours. I _know_ we can do this."  
The crowd quietly absorbed the young man's exuberance, but didn't respond. Then, one old, masked wizard stepped forward to speak. With a pronounced lack of reverence, he demanded, "What makes you so sure of success? We failed last time, even though we had the most powerful Master ever known. How can you lead us to victory when he could not?"  
Gesturing with both hands, as though used to having an audience, the American answered, "That's just it! I'm _not_ going to lead you! I mean, I can be in charge, guide this mission, but we'll all work _together_. That's why you failed last time - you depended on the power of one instead of the power of the masses. You won't all be slaves to a master now. Now we are all equal."  
He stepped back and found himself a place on the circle, between two other wizards. "Equal, just as we stand now. Our power combined is greater than that of any one sorcerer. We will call ourselves the Dark Circle. A circle which has no top and no bottom - we're all equally important. A circle, like a wheel which rolls on and on, unstoppable. We can do this, guys..." he pleaded, his voice vibrating with emotion. "...if you trust me."  
The other wizards looked at one another hesitantly. Eventually, a nod came from the one who had first challenged the leader. This seemed to act as a seal of approval, and other former Death Eaters began to show their agreement too.  
"Very well," said one of them. "We will do this thing. But we must be strong. What we have here today is not enough - In order to truly terrify our enemies, we must be huge in number and firm of purpose."  
"The Ministries think we are defeated. They must learn that the Dark Order will never fail," affirmed another. "We will endure...as for our numbers, they will increase over time, as we recruit and as other wizards see the path to power and accept it...but as for showing that we are 'firm of purpose'... we can attend to that right now. Is anybody up for a little sport tonight?"  
Malicious laughter echoed throughout the clearing. "Sure," the American answered. "And I think I saw a cabin full of Muggles a little over to the west... some kind of hunting party..."  
"Hunt_ers_?" Laughed someone else. "Or hunt_ed_?" He conjured up a broomstick and mounted. "Let's go!"  
Other broomsticks soon appeared, and the whole gathering took flight. The air was filled first with their laughter and jokes.  
Then, all grew silent as they closed in.  
And then, the peace and quiet of the night was shattered by a cacophony of agonized screaming...  
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So there's part one. I'm sorry about any typos... this is my first try with html. Review and tell me what you think so far. I hope to have the next part up really soon. Sooner if more people review for me (hint, hint).  
Thanks for reading. 


	3. Power Changes Hands

Gabrielle was sitting in the living room, staring pensively at the picture of her sister which always sat on the mantle. She sighed, remembering beautiful Fleur Delacour, the internationally famous singer who'd been murdered by Death Eaters because she spoke against them in some of her music.  
Gabrielle desperately wanted to be able to guarantee that no one else would have to suffer as she had suffered – that no one else would have to lose loved ones to the evils the Death Eaters had advocated. She had been working both days and nights these last few weeks, trying to discover the origins of this new group, the Dark Circle, so that they could be stopped.  
So far, she'd had no luck. She and her husband had made lists of people they suspected were involved with the movement, but no one would talk. They had tried several times to follow somebody suspicious, hoping the person would lead them to a Dark Circle meeting, but every time they picked someone, he stayed at home all night. It was almost as if the Dark Circle knew of all their plans before they made them. Very strange…  
"There must be a spy in the Ministry," Harry announced abruptly as he entered the room. He, too, looked disheveled and exhausted. "I've been thinking all day and it's the only thing I've come up with. Who else could have convinced the Ministry that these people are no big deal? Who else can tip them off every time there's some kind of plan in motion?"  
Gabrielle rose and put her arms around him. "This is awful, Harry. It's just like before. Something has to be done…" she said. He could hear the tears in her voice, and knew she'd been thinking about her sister again. They stood in a comforting embrace for several minutes, breaking apart only when they smelled the dinner burning.  
They sat down together and, as usual, their entire dinner conversation was centered on how the Dark Circle could possibly be combated.  
And, as usual, they didn't come up with anything.  
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This night, the moon was almost full. The light played eerie tricks on the floor of the old building...  
This time the Dark Circle had chosen to assemble in an abandoned Muggle theatre. There were seats, and a stage, and it was a safe distance away from their last gathering place.  
The American leader, who had identified himself as Nilrem Davis, stood on the stage. Despite all his talk of democracies among terrorists, he wanted to be in control. Davis's congregation this time was the largest he had amassed yet - nearly fifty wizards sat quietly in the seats, waiting for their leader to speak to them.  
Attacking Muggles and the occasional weak wizard had made him confident. People now knew the name of the Dark Circle. The old fear was beginning again to spread back into the magical populace, although not yet with the ferocity of Voldemort's days, and this made Davis feel a little more powerful. He felt that he was rapidly moving up in the world, and certainly that he had control of his Circle.  
Therefore, it seemed perfectly sensible to him that his prestige would increase if his followers would regard him with a healthy respect, even a little fear. To achieve this end, he started the meeting with a burst of fireworks from his wand.  
"We have made progress!" he began. "We are becoming a force to be reckoned with. I am taking us to the heights I promised. However, I think that maybe you have all underestimated me." He looked around severely, then suddenly shouted, "Do you all recognize me for the power that I am? I want there to be no mistake about who is leading us! If any wizard here thinks he can best me in a formal duel, come forward now!"  
He looked around arrogantly, obviously expecting no response.  
Then, from the back of the auditorium, a deep raspy voice grated, "I can." Heads turned, to see who this upstart might be. The person stood. His - or her - face was shrouded in a magical misty veil, and the voice was so unnaturally metallic and harsh that at first it was impossible to tell its gender.  
When the challenger began to walk up the aisle closer to the stage, however, the gait proved that it was a man. He stalked proudly forward and jumped onto the stage. "I will duel you for control of this Circle."  
Davis did not like this turn of events. He turned to the audience hesitantly. "Um...Brothers, shall I accept this wizard's challenge?"  
The raspy voice and darkened face gave the wizard a supernaturally evil air. He would certainly be a fit leader for such a group... the crowd found itself nodding approvingly, and Davis realized that he had no choice but to fight.  
He stood awkwardly for a moment. "First we bow to each other," the newcomer explained with a mocking sort of encouragement. They both gave a small bow. "And now we duel."  
They began to raise their wands in a ceremonious fashion, but Davis broke off the gesture halfway and shot off his curse prematurely. The split-second head start allowed him to cry "_Expelliarmus!_" before his adversary could ready himself.  
There was one fraction of a second between the incantation and the jet of light hitting the deep-voiced man. In that instant, everybody in the audience knew he had already lost - there was no way he could possibly finish a counter-charm in time before he was hit with the spell.  
He didn't have any intention of blocking the Disarming Charm, however. Instead, the moment he realized his enemy was cheating, he shouted "_Serpensortia!_" as fast as he could.  
When the Disarming Charm hit, his wand flew into the air. The spell had been in time, though. As the wand was ripped from his grasp, a bright green snake issued from it and fell to the ground. Since the wand had been flying in Davis's direction, the snake found itself pointed in that direction as well. It hissed angrily and slithered forward.  
The audience was shocked by the snake, and also shocked a few seconds later by the throaty roar of "_Expelliarmus!_" that disarmed their leader suddenly. He had been so busy making the snake disappear, that he hadn't even seen his enemy pick up his wand and come forward.  
Now, the tables were turned. Davis tried to grope for his wand to make a comeback like his opponent had done, but the raspy-voiced man would have none of it. He cast the Cruciatus Curse, which left his enemy curled up in a ball, helpless.  
He strode forward confidently and pointed his wand at the fallen wizard's chest. "_Avada Ked-_" he started, then stopped abruptly.  
"Is there any wizard here," he demanded of the crowd, "who doubts the outcome of this duel?"  
Heads quickly shook no. "Well, then, I see no reason to deprive you of one of your brothers." He gestured for the loser to get up and rejoin the other wizards. "Now, do you need another demonstration of my powers?"  
There were more negative murmurs, but the harsh voice continued, "I think you'd better have one anyway." He whirled around to face the back of the stage.  
Staring at his back, curious now, the wizards in the audience waited for whatever demonstration they would be getting. Suddenly, many of them gasped or cried out as if they'd been hurt. Several wizards jerked up the left sleeves of their robes, to see if anything was visible... but there was nothing. Only an awful searing pain, which continued until the wizard turned back to face his audience.  
"He did it," people were murmuring. "He made the Dark Mark burn..."  
All of a sudden, one wizard dashed forward and threw himself to his knees at the foot of the stage. "Master!" he cried, "You have returned to us!"  
"Get up, Avery," the victor rasped with a little chuckle. "You always were one for overacting." Then, he raised his voice and addressed everyone. "No, I am not your old master Lord Voldemort. He is gone from this earth forever. But I am not without power of my own...or without his power either, for that matter." He paused for effect. "I have communed with the very spirit of the Dark Lord. He himself has helped me to formulate a plan which I feel sure will lead us finally to the Dark successes of which we have all dreamed."  
Another murmur went up, but died when he raised his hands for silence. Seeing the awe in the former Death Eaters, the new leader knew for a certainty that he had them. He was secure in his power...the entire body of Dark wizards were now his, and his alone, to command.  
And he most certainly had his plans for them...  
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So, the Circle has a seriously creepy new leader. The good guys were _already_ having trouble fighting them... now they'll really have their hands full, I guess...  
The next chapter is done and it's my favorite one so far. I'll have it up tomorrow...read it!  
And review this one for me, willya? Thanks.   



	4. An Unforgivable Curse

Disclaimer, disclaimer, blah blah blah. None of this is mine.

The next morning...  
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An owl came from Sophie and Julien at school. They, of course, knew little or nothing about what was going on in the outside world, so their letter was short and cheery and full of little details about life at Hogwarts.  
Julien had been Sorted into Gryffindor and Sophie was Ravenclaw. They got along with all of their professors, Julien said, except Snape who "_really_ doesn't like you, Dad...or me either...but seems quite taken by Sophie. Most of the teachers are. Tell Mum thanks."  
Reading that made Harry laugh. "Hey, Gabrielle," he called into the other room. "Sophie thanks you for being part Veela. Says it's making things a lot easier with some of the teachers." From the kitchen came Gabrielle's quiet giggle...it was the first time she had laughed in days.  
She came and sat down next to him, reading over his shoulder. "You know, Harry, I wish things could be like they were - just me and you and the children, here or in France or anywhere at all," she sighed wistfully.  
"I know," he said with a bitter smile. "Anywhere but here."  
"You seem preoccupied today...Is something wrong?"  
"I had a bad night. I was out til almost daybreak, following leads that came to nothing."  
They sat in silence for a few moments, but then she asked the question that had been nagging at her for quite some time. "You know, I've been worried. Harry...I know you love your old school... but tell me the truth. How safe are our children there? I mean, rumour has it that the Potions master used to work with You-Know-Who...and a boy was definately murdered there while I was visiting...and God knows what else... Do you think they'll be all right?"  
"Hogwarts is the safest place in the world for children!" he snapped. Then, he passed a hand over his eyes and apologized for being so rude. "Sorry. Look, Gabrielle, I know you're worried, but I can almost guarantee that the Dark Circle poses no threat to our children. I mean, what you said about Hogwarts is true, but I'm sure Sophie and Julien will be all right. Besides," he added, eyes lighting up strangely, "I'm going to pay a visit there tomorrow myself. I've got to have a talk with the Potions master, as a matter of fact...that should be fun... and while I'm there I'll check that nothing's wrong."  
She smiled and dropped a soft kiss on Harry's forehead. "My wonderful husband with his built-in Dark detector..."  
The scar was visible now, as it always was when Harry was at home, and he chuckled. "Oh, you're welcome to it. I'd swap any day for a normal face, you know."  
"You wouldn't, _mon amour_. You'd better not. I like you as you are." She sat on his lap, and the unhappy tension in the room began to ease up. "We'll get through this, you know. We managed everything else. We'll be fine," she said reasussingly.  
He rested his head on her shoulder. "I hope so."  
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Severus Snape opened the door to his office and closed it behind him. It was nine o'clock at night, but he wanted to do some finishing touches on a potion that had to be completed in the moonlight. He turned to take something off the shelf. Since the halls had been silent and empty as he'd made his way through them, the professor was startled to hear his office door open again. He whirled around, all ready to lecture the student who dared to disturb him. But somehow, there was no student to lecture.  
The door was open and nobody stood in the doorway. Then, the door closed itself and in the absolute silence of his office, Snape could hear breathing. Not his own, of course... there was another person in the room with him.  
In an instant his wand was out. "Show yourself at once or I will hex you. I don't know what you think you're doing, entering my office without permission and invisible. Come, who is it?" his voice was irritated but otherwise steady.  
Feet became visible then, and then legs, and soon a whole person.  
It was Harry Potter, pulling off his trusty Invisibility Cloak and looking apologetic. "Sorry to intrude, Professor-" he was interrupted before he could get further.  
"Harry Potter?" Snape asked incredulously. "What are you doing in my office? And what are you doing in this school, for that matter?"  
"I'm sorry I startled you. I need to talk to you, and this is the first time I could catch you alone. I've been waiting all day."  
"I believe there are procedures for paying visits to professors here, just as there are rules for visits to students," he lectured. Then, noting the look on Harry's face, he sneered, "However, as I realize that you are used to special allowances, I will take a moment to speak with you now. I presume you are here to complain about my treatment of your appallingly ill-mannered children?"   
It was obviously not a serious question - Snape could certainly see that the reason for the visit was urgent and important. Still Harry answered him, "That's not why I'm here, Professor, but I prefer to believe that my children are rather well-behaved. Just as I was." Then he chuckled and conceeded, "All right, maybe more so than I was. But let's try to dispense with the insulting of each other's families, shall we? I'm afraid I'm at a disadvantage, never having met any of your relatives myself."  
"Very well, I'll restrain myself. Now tell me, Mr. Potter, since you're not here to speak with me in my professional capacity, just what exactly do you want?" Although the words were polite, the tone was anything but. Harry began nervously to fidgit, and Snape waited patiently for him to answer.

I have to start somehow, thought Harry. "Ok, this is the hard part. Er...may I sit down?"  
A sigh. "If it is absolutely unavoidable."  
Harry settled himself into the chair in front of the desk and cleared his throat. "Well...actually...it's about that new Dark Circle thing that's cropped up... you've heard of it, right?"  
Snape sat up a little straighter and seemed a little more alert. "Yes...I know about the Dark Circle," he said guardedly. "What of it?"  
Despite all his efforts, Harry was looking more and more uncomfortable. "Well, I've had to...er...deal with... some of their more recent...erm...activities the last few weeks, with my work at the Ministry. Clean up after them, you might say. And it's not pretty."  
Snape gestured impatiently for him to continue. "Yes, well?"  
"Of course, we can't pin anything on anyone yet, but it looks like the core of the movement is made up of veteran Voldemort supporters. The same people, doing the same things. It's starting all over again."  
Harry noticed Snape's jaw clench. "So?"  
"I think something has to be done about them! Something drastic," he blurted out.  
"_You_ are the Ministry worker here, Potter. These imitation terrorists are your headache, not mine. What has this got to do with me?"  
He sighed. "Nothing, really. It's only...well..." he hesitated. Then, trying to keep his tone casual and easy, Harry asked, "What if I told you I was thinking about trying to infiltrate this new order? Like you did with the Death Eaters." There, he'd said it.  
Snape's eyes narrowed. "I won't even ask how you found out about that." Then he leaned forward and hissed, "But let me caution you, Potter. I've tried to treat you as an adult, but it seems as though you are still the rash and foolish boy I remember." He took a breath and continued, sounding even more dire than before. "I did not 'infiltrate' the Death Eaters - I _joined_ them. We did things that wouldn't sit well with a squeamish conscience - or any conscience, for that matter. So if I were you, I would not even _consider_ trying to infiltrating the Dark Circle...because it is dangerous and you are certainly not ready for what it would entail. You play with matches just by _thinking_ such thoughts."  
Harry bristled at that. "I'm not a child anymore, Snape. And I don't care about matches. I'm ready to play with flamethrowers, if it comes down to that."  
"Oh? Are you?" Snape inquired sarcastically. He stood up and turned away for a minute, as though collecting himself. When he turned back around, he spoke in an icy whisper. Harry had to suppress the shivers that threatened to shake him as he heard, "Do you know what it means to _live in fear_, Potter? Do you? No. Of course not. But maybe you can imagine...   
"Imagine the terror of going to sleep _every night_ knowing that without warning you might be awoken by a masked mob, dragged out of bed, and slaughtered with no more mercy than you're accustomed to showing your own victims. Imagine bowing low each night before a wizard who would kill you..._kill_ you, Potter...if he so much as _suspected_ the deceit in your mind. Imagine living two lives, hiding your duplicity from everyone...the whole world. Every single living person is an enemy, there is no one on either side whom you can trust, and certainly no one from whom you can beg help if you're discovered.  
"You fought a basilisk at school once, didn't you, Potter? I'll bet when you first saw it, there was a moment of absolute terror, when you stood helpless and unarmed as it closed in on you...deadly, evil, pitiless. Right? There was nowhere to go, no turning back. Remember that moment? Well, that moment would become your _whole life_, Potter. Can you even imagine such a life? I can. And I tell you, it is not a thing to idly contemplate on a Sunday afternoon.  
"Do you understand me? I don't care if you think yourself an adult. _I_ know that if you try this thing, you will die. I can't force you to obey me, of course, but I can repeat that I would not, under any circumstances, advise you to go on with such a mad scheme. I most certainly don't need the death of a young idealist on my conscience. Clear?"  
Harry sat still for a moment, pale and thoughtful. Of all the emotions warring inside him after he heard the speech, the one that won out was anger. He clenched his teeth and tried to match Snape's own eerie hiss. "I'm learning."  
"What?"  
"I said, I'm learning," Harry shot back, rising to his feet. "You asked me if I knew what it was to live in fear. And you're right - I probably haven't as much experience in the field as you. But I'm learning quickly. I thank you for your concern for my life, but really, there's no need to try to scare me." He was still angry, but managed to get a handle on his pride enough to add, "I came here because I needed advice. Not bullying. You have to help me...please."  
Snape regarded Harry silently for a long moment, then said quietly, "You've done it, haven't you." It was not a question. "You've already made contact with the Dark Circle, and now you're panicking because you realize what will happen if they turn on you. You want advice on how not to get caught. Advice from someone who knows. Yes?"  
Harry gave a cold smile. "Something like that."  
"You stupid boy... So what do you want me to tell you?" he asked bitterly. "How to grovel properly before your leader, so that he doesn't just kill you to give your friends some amusement?"  
"Oh, it's not likely that the leader will kill me," Harry laughed. "You see, I've done you one better. I didn't just _enlist_ under their leader...as of two nights ago, I _am_ the new leader."  
Snape arched his eyebrows. "I believe I misheard you, Potter," he said evenly, black eyes glittering.  
"No you didn't. I tracked down one of their meetings, intending to sign up as a common member, but the fool who led them started off by bragging, 'If any wizard here thinks he can best me in a formal duel, come forward now.' He didn't look so tough... so I did."  
"You idiot, idiot boy!" spat Snape. "Are you not yet through with the practice of seeking out the most powerful and evil sorcerers to duel with? You're a terrible duelist - I'm surprised you weren't killed!" He took a breath, then added grudgingly, "All right, tell me how you did it."  
Harry drew himself up proudly. "Well, he pulled a nasty trick - tried to disarm me before we had officially started. I knew I didn't have time to block the spell, but I did summon a snake. I was going to set it on him in Parseltongue, but then it attacked him by itself. So I disarmed him, and then-" Harry stopped abruptly. He had been excitedly describing his quick thinking, but wasn't sure he wanted to talk about what came next. He managed to tear his gaze from Snape's creepy black eyes.  
Even though Harry didn't finish his sentence, Snape understood... or thought he did. "You finished him then, Potter?" he asked softly.  
"Finished...?" Harry's eyes widened. "No! I mean, I didn't kill him, I just...well, he was going to pick up his wand again, I had no choice..." he looked up and made eye contact squarely. "I cast the Cruciatus Curse to stop him. That's all. And then I let him live, and made a big show of being dangerous and merciful. I know how to read an audience - they liked it, I know they did."  
Snape shook his head. "That whole duel was a terrible idea," he announced scornfully. "Didn't you realize that the best way to avoid detection was to stay rank-and-file, not distinguish yourself?"  
Harry shrugged. "I didn't think of it at the time," he said regretfully.  
"You didn't think of anything at the time! Fool! What if someone had recognized you?"  
With another shrug, Harry drew his wand. "My face was covered and besides..." he touched his wand to his throat and murmured an incantation. When he spoke again, his voice had become deep and raspy. "I spoke like this the entire time."  
The voice change didn't impress Snape, who only sneered, "Well, so you've done it...now what will you do?"  
"Well, I was kind of hoping you would have some ideas," Harry admitted sheepishly, using his normal voice now. "I mean, you're probably the only wizard I know who has any inkling of how to behave under the circumstances..."  
Snape fell heavily back into his seat, covering his face with his hands. "I still can't believe what you are telling me…" he muttered. Then, he heaved a sigh and folded his hands on his desk. "I don't think I can help you," he continued at last. "There is no way I'll make decisions for you that are likely to get you killed...much as the prospect may please me."  
"But _you_ did this and lived through it!"  
"This may have escaped your notice, Mr. Potter, but _you_ are not _me_. Besides, _I_ had Dumbledore's help."  
"Well I'll have yours! Please, Professor," Harry begged. "I'm not asking you to get me out of this mess... I know perfectly well I've already dug my own grave... but I just want to run my plans by you. You know more about this than anybody else... Tell me if it's got any chance of working... please?"  
Snape ran his hands through his greasy black hair. "This is ridiculous. All right, Potter, I'll hear you out. Although, given the decisions you've already made, I expect anything further to be nothing short of lunacy."  
"Thank you." Harry leaned back in his chair to get comfortable, and began to explain his plan for smashing the Dark Circle once and for all.  
*******************************

Two hours later, the young man was finally finished. Snape had propped one elbow on the desk and was resting his head on his hand wearily, in a perfect pose of despondent exhaustion. "Is that all, Potter?" He had critiqued and modified almost every step of the agenda, and was at last satisfied with the results.  
Potter nodded, equally tired. Seeing the determined yet rather desperate look on the boy's face, Snape felt a momentary flash of a sort of empathy. Oh, he knew that look. When Potter raised a hand distractedly, though, and ran it through his hair hurriedly with the air of a hunted animal, it was too much. "Stop that!" he snapped at his former pupil.  
"Er..what? Why?"  
Snape made a dismissive gesture and muttered, "Oh, nothing." What was he supposed to say..."Don't do that, you reminded me of me?" How cliche and awful!  
His irritation found vent in a nasty smile. "All right. I suppose this little meeting has gone on long enough. You'd better head home - I'm sure you have plenty of tossing and turning to do tonight. Not much sleeping, of course..."  
"Hmmm...now that you mention it...do you maybe have a sleeping potion I could take?"  
Snape rolled his eyes. "Not content to do things the old-fashioned way, are we, Potter? You can't just take your insomnia quietly, like the rest of us troubled souls? Of course not," he mocked softly. "But don't worry - I'm sure I have something to keep the nightmares at bay. We wouldn't want The Famous Harry Potter to lose any shut-eye, would we? Here." He rummaged in his desk drawers and finally produced a little blue bottle. "I don't think I need to tell you not to take this until you're already in bed. It is potent and takes effect immediately...two or three drops should be fine."  
"Thanks."  
"Before you go, answer me one question...what brought on this fit of insanity?"  
"Besides the death threats, you mean?" laughed Harry. "Because I've gotten plenty of those from these Dark Circle people...Matter of fact, I even sent myself one at our last meeting... So that's one reason, and also...I don't know... I kind of feel like I owe the world one. You know, it was my fault that Wormtail got away and helped Voldemort back to power... my blood that brought him back the second time around...my fault that Cedric Diggory died. Besides-" he looked away and sighed. "-it's for my kids, you know? I mean, considering what my parents did for me, to keep me safe, it's kind of the least I can do."  
"How touching," Snape sneered. "And just as I thought. Owing the world one, indeed. Ridiculous! I've never heard such naive idiocy." He realized, a little too late, that his words lacked the spiteful, biting edge he would have liked to spike them with.  
Apparently, Potter noticed too. Instead of getting unduly angry or upset, he merely shrugged and answered defiantly, "So? I'd rather be naive than mean all the time. You are genuinely unpleasant to be around, you know that?" He even had the nerve to laugh a little. "I've always wanted to say that to you, but I was always terrified."  
Snape inclined his head as though accepting a compliment. "Well, now you've had your fun, Potter. One more thing, though. You say you took power over the Dark Circle two nights ago?" A nod confirmed this. "Then... you had nothing to do with the death threat I received? It came by owl over the weekend."  
"No, that was before my time. They did mention that they'd been planning to do away with all the people who blocked the last advance of the Dark Order, but I'll squash that idea at the next gathering."  
"Only if you can manage it without being conspicuous. It looks like the ones they're harrassing are mostly ex-Aurors and such, perfectly capable of defending themselves so long as they're not confronted with wizards of Voldemort's caliber... and you haven't got anybody remotely close to that. Worry more about Muggle slaughter. That's easy and fun and likely to run rampant among your new followers. Unless you know where to procure a lifetime supply of sleeping potions for yourself, you don't want to do or witness or even condone the torture of Muggles. Trust me."  
Harry nodded soberly. "Yeah, I know. All right...Thanks for everything...I've got to get going now. My wife will worry."  
"Ah, yes, your wife. You know, of course, that it is absolutely essential that the Dark Circle know nothing of her and she of them. Correct?"  
"Certainly. I've no wish to put her at risk, or myself either. You're the only person I've told."  
"Keep it that way. Good night, Potter." He rose.  
"Night, Professor."  
Snape shook hands, but did not trouble himself to see Potter to the door. A flick of his wand was enough to open it from where he stood, and he decided that that was all the courtesy he owed the idiot.  
This idiot who had brought him back once more into a world of secret meetings and secret lives, and death hovering always just around the corner.  
Avada Kedavra...Imperio...Crucio...these had never made Snape bat an eye. They still didn't. But foolish idealistic children, he thought, now _that's_ another story. Now _there_ is an unforgivable curse.

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Of course I couldn't resist involving my favorite Potions master in this story... What do you guys think so far? Please review, I've gotten almost no feedback and I don't even know if anybody is reading this.  
Thanks for reading.  



	5. The Black Center

The usual disclaimer.

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Gabrielle was shocked when her husband came home one day and abruptly announced, "I want you to ask to be taken off the Dark Circle investigation. Tomorrow at work, tell them that you'd rather be doing something else."  
"But I wouldn't rather be doing something else, Harry," she replied simply. "Why do you want me to say that?"  
"Because..." Harry fished for an explanation. "Because it's too dangerous!" he declared finally. "And you're going to get hurt, and I won't have my wife put in such terrible danger. That's why."  
She stared at him. "Excuse me," she replied hotly, "but I think _I_ will decide what is too dangerous for me. The Dark Circle is getting more and more powerful every day... now that they've got that centaur for a leader..."  
"Centaur?" Harry asked, confused.  
"Yes, haven't you heard? The rumour is that they've got a new leader - his name is the Black Centaur - and _he_ is the reason they've gone to ground. He's told them to wait before they kill anyone."  
Harry could barely suppress a laugh. "I don't think the leader is a centaur," he explained. "I've heard that he's a wizard who calls himself the Black _Center_ - you know, like the center of a circle. Because everything revolves around him." Harry was very proud of the name he'd created for himself, and he wanted everybody to get it right.  
"Then why 'black'?"  
"People say he was modeling himself after a flame... you know how a candle flame has that dark part in the middle? The Black Center. Like that."  
"Oh." Gabrielle digested that. "But I still don't like the way they're just biding their time. Almost as if they're concocting some huge plan. Harry, I'm really scared...and I won't deprive the Dark Force Defense League of one of its best investigators!" she said defiantly, bringing him back to their original argument.  
"Gabrielle! You have to!" he shouted. "Trust me, it's for the best. Please!"  
This was shaping up to be the worst fight they'd ever had. Gabrielle and Harry didn't fight much, really... the worst disagreement they'd ever been through was the argument over their children's names. Gabrielle had insisted that they not be named after dead relatives or old girlfriends: "I want our children to have completely _new_ names," she'd said. "Otherwise they will forever remind us of people we used to know. That's not fair to them."  
She'd won that time, and Harry began to resent that she wouldn't give way today. "I don't ask all that much of you," he began in what he thought was a reasonable tone of voice. "But this is very, very important to me. I mean it. I've been losing sleep over it..."  
Gabrielle's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I've been meaning to ask you about that," she said nastily. "Because I seem to notice waking up every night without you in my bed. I've been wondering exactly where you go at night...what you do that makes you exhausted every morning, unable to give me a kiss or even to make eye contact..."  
He reached out to touch her. "Gabrielle-"  
"Don't touch me!" she snapped, slapping his hand away. "I don't want her germs all over me!"  
"Her?"  
"Whoever she is!"  
Harry's eyes widened. "Oh, no, Gabrielle, I'm not... I mean it, I don't go to see...someone... at night, that's not where I go! I swear, I really don't..." He was starting to lose it, she could see. He collapsed in a chair and held his head in his hands.  
"Harry..." she touched him on the shoulder and he looked up at her. She was shocked to see that tears were forming in his eyes. "Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of... it's just that, well, you _do_ disappear, I get worried... I don't know what to do."  
Harry lit up with sudden inspiration. "Hey, Gabrielle, let's make a deal, all right? You get off the Dark Circle investigation, so I can stop worrying about you. And I...I'll stop going out at night. All right?"  
She nodded, tearful herself now. "All right, Harry. I hope this is over soon."  
"Me too."  
That night, as she sat in bed reading, Harry came in with two cups of hot cocoa. "We haven't just sat around with cocoa in a while," he said brightly. "Let's have a cup and try to cheer ourselves, shall we?"  
She brought the cup to her mouth, noticing that Harry was watching her with avid interest. Hmm...  
"Ow!" she exclaimed as the liquid touched her lips. "It's hot...I'll have to cool it... Where on earth did I put my wand?" She stood and began to look around.  
"I'll do it-" Harry began to offer, but she'd already headed out into their bathroom.  
"Oh, there it is, I left it when I was fixing up my hair..." She looked over her shoulder to make sure Harry couldn't see her, then dipped the wand into the liquid.  
Her eyes glowed as she concentrated hard on the cocoa, and soon her theory was confirmed. A glob of some pearly liquid, probably about four drops by the look of it, congealed from the cup and hovered in the air.  
She bent to smell it, and recognized it immediately as coming from the little blue bottle Harry kept in his nightstand. A sleeping potion, then? Harry was trying to drug her?

Harry watched, relieved, as Gabrielle came back into the room and sat next to him on the bed. "There, that's better," she said sweetly. She took a sip of cocoa and yawned. "Mmmm, thank you. I like when you bring me hot chocolate in bed... _je l'aime beaucoup_..." Another sip and she began to close her eyes...  
He couldn't help smiling. "Thank you, Professor Snape," he muttered under his breath, watching Gabrielle sink slowly into her pillows. The diluted potion had been perfect, apparently. She would wake up in the morning, with Harry beside her, and think they'd just fallen asleep naturally together. Perfect.  
He watched her breathing become deep and regular, then passed a hand in front of her face. She didn't flinch. "Gabrielle?" he asked softly. There was no response, so he carefully rose from the bed, picked up his wand, and left the house.

The minute he was gone, Gabrielle sat up and began to cry.  
****************************************************

"Tonight, I am going to explain to you my reason for ordering that we lay low for now," Harry was explaining to the Circle an hour later. He could sense that the wizards were getting restless - they wanted to kill, and soon.  
"I know many of you think that I only intended to test your loyalty, and see whether you would obey me, but my reasons lie deeper than that," he assured them. "I prohibited you from murder for two reasons. One: If you are caught in the act you will be interrogated, and may reveal our secrets to the Ministry. For that reason, we cannot afford to proceed in a haphazard and dangerous fashion. Two: Even if you are successful, it will tip off the wizarding world to what we are trying to do. I want the blow to fall suddenly and thoroughly, wiping out all opposition in a single night. Do you understand my logic?"  
The wizards all nodded their assent.  
"Good."  
The meeting began to focus on the list of "opposition" that would be wiped out in the Dark Circle's initial crippling attack on the Ministry of Magic. Harry had been encouraging his followers to make such ridiculous lists, in order to stall them from taking any real action yet.  
In the process of finding out all he could from Snape about the old Death Eater gatherings, (in order to support his claim that he communicated with Voldemort's spirit), Harry had learned exactly what they liked to do at their meetings. As a result, he realized that he had to have his own plans made up...or the Circle would want to revert to the horrifying activities they were usually so fond of.  
A few minutes into Harry's careful time-killing, the meeting was disrupted by Avery's screech, "Center, there is someone in the woods! I saw them! A spy!"  
"Catch him!" Harry ordered imperiously.  
The wizards reacted immediately. They fanned out to search through the nearby trees, and Harry stood still, racking his brains trying to figure out what to do. He expected his followers to reappear any moment, carrying with them whoever had dared to spy on this gathering... but he was mistaken.  
Apparently, they had decided to take matters into their own hands. Harry suddenly heard a shriek, accompanied by rowdy laughter. Curses and wailing came next, and he decided he would have to go look for them, to put a stop to whatever they were doing.  
He made his way through the trees. He knew he was getting closer because now he could hear, along with the raw screams, the exact words the wizards were using. "_Crucio_! Tsk, tsk, you're regretting spying on us now, girlie, aren't you?"  
Finally he could see, up ahead, that they'd levitated their prisoner and were flipping her around and around, as well as making liberal use of the Cruciatus Curse. When Harry approached and shot off sparks from his wand to get their attention, they let the person fall to the ground.  
Since Harry had heard them call the spy "girlie," he supposed it was a woman, but couldn't tell because all she was at the moment was a tangle of robes on the ground. He turned to the Circle. "I thought I ordered that no one be killed," he grated wrathfully.  
Lucius Malfoy stepped forward and offered a slight bow. "We were careful, Center," he assured Harry. "No mess and no death... I do not even believe we've drawn blood yet."  
Having heard the prisoner screaming in such agony, Harry wasn't too sure about this. He stepped forward and bent over to pull the woman to her feet. The minute he touched her, though, she shrank back against the ground and cried, "Take your hands _off_ of me, you filthy beast!" He drew back, shocked. That voice...  
No, he was imagining things... Wasn't he?  
"Get up," he growled. He levitated the woman to her feet, and with a flick of his wand removed the hood that covered her face. As a silky sheet of white-gold hair tumbled loose, his worst fears were confirmed.   
It was Gabrielle.

Harry stared in shock. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't even think save for a constant litany of _No No No Nononononono_ that flooded through his mind over and over.  
"You're the Black Center, then? You're human?" she asked, trying to make out his features that were shrouded in his usual supernatural black mist. He still couldn't answer.  
Luckily, the wizards misinterpreted the way he froze up. "Yes, she's quite something, isn't she, Center?" Davis asked jubilantly.  
"She's part Veela, actually. I can tell," Nott said importantly.  
Finally Harry got a handle on himself enough to speak. "Well, whatever she is, we'll have to let her go. It won't do to have the Ministry on our backs this early in the game. Release her - the time is not yet right for murder."  
Again, Lucius Malfoy voiced the mob's sentiments. "But for this one, Center, we think the time _is_ right. This will be the kill that makes all wizards know us and fear us. You see, this is not just _any_ spy... it is the wife of Harry Potter."   
"Ah... how interesting," he murmured. So they knew. What on earth could he say, Harry wondered. Gabrielle was indeed a trump, and they would want her for a hostage if nothing else.  
Malfoy seemed to take his hesitation for assent, and turned his masked face back to Gabrielle. "_Crucio!_"  
"_Finite Incantatem!_" Harry said firmly. "Lucius, I distinctly remember ordering that she be released."  
"Center, we _all_ have the lust for killing tonight," Malfoy answered in equally steely tones. "You must not deny us."  
All of a sudden, Gabrielle's eyes widened and she threw herself forward, clutching madly at Harry's robes. "No! Don't let them kill me!" she shrieked.  
Seeing Gabrielle, who was usually so proud and independent, behave so strangely, Harry felt more determined than ever to have her freed before anything else was done to her. He pushed her away and forced himself to look at her.  
She stood completely still except for the heaving of her chest. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides and she'd stopped crying, but was still shaking a little with pain and terror.  
"Her intrusion has not gone unpunished," Harry stated.  
"Let us punish her _more_," someone demanded. Harry felt a jolt of intense terror that they would turn on him if he refused...  
"Very well," he blurted out. "A _little_ more." In an instant, Gabrielle was doubled up, clutching her stomach and whimpering hysterically. _She's not the only one being tortured_, Harry thought, and wondered how much longer he could keep silent.  
Not very much longer at all - they lifted her several feet with their wands and dropped her back to the ground with a nasty thudding sound, then cast the Cruciatus Curse again. Harry couldn't bear to hear his wife scream like that, and ordered a stop to it after only a few minutes.   
"But I really think she ought to die. Let us make an example of her," Malfoy urged. Harry could see the heads nodding all around him, and felt control again slipping from his grasp. _What would Voldemort do in my place?_ he wondered.  
"Lucius, if you interfere again, I will make an example of _you_," Harry said coldly. To illustrate his point, he incanted "_Serpensortia_" and watched as a huge snake slithered from his wand. "Would you please act scary, and move a little closer to that man over there?" Harry asked it politely in Parseltongue, indicating Malfoy with his wand.  
Malfoy stood absolutely motionless as the snake approached and rose up a little to hiss at him. "Like thissssssssss?" it asked.  
"Thank you, that's enough," Harry hissed back. The snake retreated, and Malfoy immediately stepped closer to Harry and bowed low.  
"I apologize for my forwardness, Center," he said smoothly. Harry still detected a trace of challenge as he added, "I will step aside...this time."  
"Good," Harry answered, then turned to address the rest of his followers. "We will release this woman...for the moment. Don't worry, though, any of you - she'll be back with us soon enough. When the time is right, we will kill her and all others who oppose us." He faced Gabrielle. "Go, now, and remember that if you breathe a word of us to any living person, we will come after you again. We will kill your children and send you their heads by owl. Do you understand?"  
She nodded, tears coursing silently down her cheeks. Harry indicated a path with his wand. "Go that way. Leave now or we may change our minds."  
Somebody handed her her wand back and she turned and ran.

When the Circle was reassembled in the clearing again, Harry could see that many of them were still dissatisfied. "I see that you all grow impatient," he rasped at them.  
They all nodded or murmured their assent.  
"So I tell you that we will begin soon. We will make our final plans tomorrow night, and the massacre we've all been waiting for will take place one night later. Agreed?"  
"That's it, Center! Just what we've been waiting to hear!" exclaimed Davis.  
Even Malfoy seemed contented. "Finally, the time comes," he said quietly, "and we are all ready for it."  
"We had better leave at once, in case that woman has managed somehow to reach the Ministry already. Tomorrow we meet in the woods where Davis first assembled you all," Harry directed. His followers Disapparated one by one.  
When the woods were empty, he stood for a few moments alone, trying to steel himself to go home.  
It was no good, though. Every time he closed his eyes he could see Gabrielle twisting horribly in midair, could hear her screaming so awfully that her voice wasn't even recognizable... No, he couldn't go home and face her. But he couldn't just stay here all night, could he?  
Harry suddenly decided what to do. Instead of Disapparating as his followers had done, he put on his Invisibility Cloak, summoned a broomstick, and made a beeline for Hogwarts. 

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How do you like it so far? Tell me. Next chapter will be more Snape and probably some Sophie and Juilen as well.  
Thanks for reading.


	6. Change of Plans

The usual disclaimer:

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Still wearing his Invisibility Cloak, Harry dashed madly through the halls of the building. He tried to use the Marauder's Map to find who he was looking for, but couldn't even read it because of the tears that clouded his vision. Finally, he went into the Great Hall and just sat in the middle of the floor.  
After sobbing loudly for a few minutes, and pounding his fists on the ground like a child having a tantrum, he managed to see through his frustration. He still couldn't read the tiny words on the map properly, so he decided that if he couldn't find Snape, he would just make Snape come to him.  
Harry touched his wand to his forehead and drew on his all his anger and bitterness. The negativity was easy to transform into a burning pain, which he willed to affect not only himself but Snape as well. A few minutes of this produced the desired results, and one of the dots on the Marauder's Map left its room and began moving through the halls.  
Being still invisible, Harry found his old teacher before being sighted himself. "Professor...Hey..."  
Snape looked around, confused, until Harry took off the cloak. He sighed with irritation. "I had a feeling it was you..." he paused and looked at Harry's face. "What on earth...?"  
Harry responded in a hysterical voice that greatly contrasted Snape's careful whisper. "Something terrible happened, Snape I'm going to be sick, really it was awful, I can't believe I-"  
In an instant they were both surrounded by a pearly-white bubble. "Before you go spilling your secrets to the entire school, Potter, you might want to think about a silencing charm first," Snape lectured calmly. He sounded tense but collected as he demanded, "Now, tell me what happened."  
Harry drew in a deep breath and, periodically pausing to breathe and wipe his eyes, recounted the night's events. Instead of looking away tactfully to allow Harry to hide his crying, Snape watched him sob the whole time, with a contemptuously critical air.  
Eventually Harry just gave up pretending that he wasn't distraught, and sniveled, "I'm so upset - this really messed me up..."   
"Why? Nothing happened."  
"It wasn't nothing! It's not, Snape, it was awful, I _watched_ them-"  
"So?" he demanded scornfully. "You watched them torture an innocent for a few minutes. So what? That's nothing, believe me, _nothing_ compared to what could have happened. I told you from the start that you're a child, unprepared for all of this...You're just lucky that they didn't make you curse the girl yourself, or kill her for that matter. You're complaining about nothing, Potter."  
Harry started to sob out an answer, but he was interrupted. "Do you expect me to feel sorry for you? I've already told you what _I_ had to do to combat the Dark Order. What you did tonight was nothing. Stop this ridiculous whining at once."  
Finally Harry got a word in edgewise. "But it was my _wife_," he whimpered miserably. "I love her."  
"And she's alive and you should just be thankful for that." He waited until Harry had regrouped himself slightly. "What is of more concern to me, though, is that you seem to be losing your hold over the Dark Circle. And that our plans are ruined because you have so stupidly agreed to a massacre that we have only two days to prevent. Let's go to my office, right now, and figure out what to do."  
Snape swept away coldly, and casually sent a counter-charm over his shoulder to make the silencing bubble disappear. Harry had no choice but to follow him, still trying to fight back tears. 

Snape sat down at his desk and conjured up a bottle of brandy. "Much as I hate to do anything which might begin to produce an atmosphere of camaraderie, I suppose I'll have to offer you a drink. Sit."  
Harry sat. He knew he looked a mess. "Thanks - I feel terrible."  
The scowl grew sourer. "Try not to sound like you're talking to a friend. I would like, if it's at all possible, to preserve what animosity remains between us."  
Laughing suddenly, Harry answered, "My pleasure, you cranky old nut."  
"That's better." He poured out two drinks and heaved a sigh. "All right, now tell me again what happened today. Particularly between you and Malfoy - that sounded rather alarming to me."  
Harry explained it all and Snape nodded knowingly. "I suspected as much. Potter, you can't promise them world domination and then refuse to let them kill like they want to. They won't obey. I suppose, after all, it _was_ a good move to set a date for the attack on the Ministry...it was probably the only thing you could possibly have done to prevent a mutiny."  
Harry began to outline an idea that had occurred to him the other day. Would it be enough, he wondered, to have confessions recorded? Or did they need to be actually seen first-hand by live witnesses?  
He described the term "video camera" to Snape, who listened skeptically. "I believe I've heard of that apparatus... It records memories so that anyone can see them later, correct?"  
"Yes. So if we get somebody to tape them making evil plans and confessing to evil stuff they've already done..."  
After about a half hour of ironing out the details, the plan made perfect sense... except for one thing: Snape thought it safest if no one else was involved, but he didn't know how to work a video camera himself. And since they had to catch the Circle on tape the following evening, there would be no time for Harry to go get one to teach him with.  
He was trying to explain it now, without actually having a camera in front of him, but they weren't making any progress. All of a sudden, a cackle sounded in the corridor.  
It was Peeves. "CAUGHT YOU!" he screamed at someone, presumably a student. Snape jumped up and hissed to Harry, "Cover yourself!" and opened the door of his office.  
Harry scrambled under his Invisibility Cloak and tried to listen to what was happening as the professor took charge of the situation. "Wandering about after hours, are we?" Snape's voice had a strange sort of triumph to it. "Thank you, Peeves," he said silkily, "but I'll take it from here."  
Harry heard Peeves bang away down the hallway. Snape's voice was cold and commanding now. "Back to your dormitory, Miss Simmons. And you - what are you doing out this late? Both of you, come into my office at once."  
A petulant girl's voice rang out, "But, sir, what about them? Are they going back to their rooms now too, or are they in trouble? It was my fault just as much-"  
"Go!" Snape ordered angrily. "What happens to them is not your affair. You're just fortunate not to be in as much trouble as they are."  
Harry heard the girl scamper off, and the door to Snape's office opened again. "In here, you two," he said softly. When the two students entered the room, Harry could barely restrain himself from ripping off his cloak to say hello.  
It was Sophie and Julien.

Julien looked terrified and hopeless. Sophie's face, on the other hand, wore a look that Harry recognized. He knew what thoughts that must be passing through her head... "Oh, we're caught. Quick, think! What can I tell him? Oh, no, we're in trouble. How can I get out of it?" Thoughts that had been so familiar to _him_ back in the day...  
Sophie, though, had options that Harry had never had. Snape made no move to stop her as she cleared her throat and began to explain herself, "Professor...er...It's my fault. I was just taking Gina Simmons to meet my brother... I think she likes him... They don't have a single minute of their schedules together - this is the only time we had - I know we're out late... It's my fault though... Am I in a lot of trouble?"  
Snape let her finish, but then glowered at her. "Miss Potter, I will no longer allow you to take the blame for your brother's misbehavior. This time, it will be my pleasure to give him the most awful detention I can possibly conjure up. However, as to being in trouble, you happen to be just the opposite." He turned and looked directly to where Harry was sitting, invisible. "You see, I think you can actually help me _avoid_ a great deal of trouble. Do either of you know how to use a video camera?"  
That question made Harry jump out of his seat. Without even bothering to become visible, he exclaimed, "No, Snape, I won't involve them! Stop it."  
"Dad?" Julien asked incredulously, looking around. When Harry took off the cloak, he and Sophie both ran forward to greet him. "What are you doing here?"  
Snape answered Harry's comment. "How else do you intend for me to get the thing on film? We have only one chance and it is imperative that we not make mistakes."  
"Are you nuts? It's too dangerous!" yelled Harry.  
"Dangerous?" hissed Snape, beginning to sound quite insane. _Oh, no_, Harry thought. He vividly remembered what a frightening sight Professor Snape was when he'd worked himself up like this... Harry and his children stared as Snape shook his head and repeated himself even more vehemently. "Dangerous? No, let me tell you what is dangerous. What is dangerous is not capturing the evidence we need tomorrow night. What is dangerous is choosing a conspirator whom we cannot trust. You have already _done_ the things that are dangerous, Potter. Now, I assume your children are not Dark Circle sympathizers themselves? No? Then they are the best allies we could possibly find. I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier."  
By now, Sophie and Julien had gotten the gist of what was going on. "You're working against the Dark Circle, Dad?," Julien asked excitedly. "You have some plan to break it up?"  
"We'll help!" Sophie said. "We want to. We don't care if it's dangerous, Dad, we want to help!"  
"And so you shall," Snape said. "Now sit down, and don't interrupt, and listen carefully to what you have to do...."  
**************************************************

It was almost dawn by the time Harry got back home. He'd been plotting with Snape until well past three o'clock, then had wandered around aimlessly, trying to postpone the moment when he would walk in the door and see Gabrielle. He still thought he'd have trouble talking to her without breaking down.  
When he did finally tiptoe into his darkened bedroom and lie down, though, he suddenly wished that maybe he had come home a little sooner.  
Because Gabrielle was gone.

"_Lumos_!" Harry shined light around the entire bedroom. Gabrielle was not in the bed, or on the chair, or by her dresser. He jumped up and checked the rest of the house, calling her name, but she wasn't there either.  
He could feel his heart pounding as he tried logically to figure out what might have happened. Just when he was about to panic, fearing that she'd been kidnapped by overzealous Dark Circle members, he saw a note on her pillow.  
_Please don't come after me,_ it said in Gabrielle's beautiful handwriting. _I beg you. I won't tell a soul, I swear it. I'll keep your secret. I'll do anything, only don't hurt the children. Please. Forget about me, I'll never bother you again. - Gabrielle_  
Is the note for me? Harry wondered. It can't be. Hurt the children? Why on earth would I hurt the children? Gabrielle's note sounded truly terrified. This didn't make any sense...Unless she was talking about his secret life...but it couldn't be. He'd Apparated to the place where he met the Circle, so there was no way she could have followed him and seen him transform. She couldn't know. This made no sense at all.  
He walked through the house, looking for more clues about where she had gone and why, but found nothing until he came to the kitchen.  
There, cauldrons were tossed all over the floor as though a hurricane had come through. The cabinets had all been ransacked as though someone were trying to rapidly cook an extremely difficult dish...  
... or brew an extremely difficult potion.

One cauldron sat out in the middle of the floor, still bubbling with some mixture. Next to it, a partially incinerated piece of paper caught Harry's eye. It was a bill from an emergency potions delivery service. Most of the order was burned away, but "lacewing" and "boomslang" were still visible.  
Harry bent down to smell the mixture. He recognized the odor - it was Polyjuice Potion.  
_So Gabrielle is disguising herself?_ he wondered. He had no idea why she wanted to run from him all of a sudden, or why she had left the remains of the potion on the floor. After all, if he really wanted to find her, all he would have to do would be to drink some himself. That way, he'd know what she looked like and it wouldn't be so hard to track her down.  
And he definitely wanted to track her down. Where on earth had she gone?  
Without further ado, Harry gulped some of the potion and waited for it to take effect. Soon, the painful ripping sensation occurred, that told him that he was transforming. He sat on the floor groaning for a few minutes, then rose and dragged himself to a mirror.  
He looked in and stared with utter disbelief on his face.  
Harry looked exactly the same. He had turned into... _himself...._?  
****************************************

Sorry this is a bit of a cliffhanger, everybody! I usually hate doing that to people. But this chapter was too short if it stopped before Harry got home, and too long if I added the next bit. So you'll just have to wait a day or two before finding out why Gabrielle made a Polyjuice Potion of Harry...if indeed it was Gabrielle who did it. It's a good reason. Can anybody guess?  



	7. This, That, and the Other

Disclaimer I don't own these poor characters, although I am making them do some pretty weird stuff soon...

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Gabrielle awoke under a bridge. _What am I doing under a bridge?_ Then she tried to stand up, and suddenly she remembered.   
She felt weak and sore. It didn't take her long to remember the source of the soreness... Damned Dark Circle sadists! They really knew what they were doing, she reflected. Without drawing blood that would anger their leader, they'd certainly managed to hurt her pretty badly. She named them in her mind. Lucius Malfoy, Joseph Crabbe, that ugly Nott fellow. There were others, to be sure, but those were the ones whose voices and figures she recognized.   
With a touch of pride, she remembered how well her plan had worked - she'd intended, since Harry had gone off and left her alone for the evening again, to search out the Dark Circle herself. She knew she would run some danger; she welcomed it, really. Harry had broken his end of the bargain and she would break hers. She would follow Lucius Malfoy, always a sure bet if one wanted to find a Dark gathering of any kind, and she'd do it without orders from the English Ministry so that there'd be no one to betray her. She was itching to get her hands on this Black Center person. Good, if her work led to his capture. Better, if she managed to catch him herself. She was one of the best-trained witches in France for this kind of work...and England didn't seem to have anybody remotely capable...so if the Dark Circle were to be destroyed, it would probably be all up to her.   
As she'd hoped, Lucius had led her to the Circle's meeting. She recognized some of the members, but unfortunately was too far away to learn anything helpful about the Black Center himself. She had to get closer. But she couldn't just waltz in alone, of course. She had to be brought in by some of his stupid adherents.   
The plan was risky, she knew. Crouched behind a tree, she weighed her chances. How firm was he when he insisted that the Circle kill no one just yet? Would he bend that rule for a spy if he caught one? No, Gabrielle didn't think so. She could use her brain, her Veela-charm, and the spare wand that was always strapped to her calf. If they took her best wand and said they were going to kill her, she could cajole them into changing their minds, or at the very least she could get away with her hidden weapon.   
Her mind made up, Gabrielle made a little noise and ruffled a few branches. When she heard the alarm go up, she turned and ran, clumsily and slowly so that they would be sure to find her.   
Oh, it hurt when they cursed her. _Crucio_ was never a laughing matter, of course, but she was better-prepared than any of them knew. Defense Against the Dark Arts at Beauxbatons did not consist of a few stupid blocking curses - _any_ wizard can defend himself when he's got his head together and a wand in his hand! _This_ was her Defense training in action. The pain spread through her body but she knew how to make it leave her mind alone. She could think, run if need be, and until it looked like her life was in immediate danger, all she had to do was sit and endure.   
It was so frustrating, to be a foot away from the Black Center but unable to learn anything useful. That awful clouded face ruined any possibility of figuring out his identity... She was close enough to speak to him, to touch him if she wanted...but what good would that do?   
Then she noticed something on his robes. A hair.   
If she could get a piece of his hair, she could make a Polyjuice Potion. She could find out firsthand who the Black Center really was... she could even impersonate him if she wanted to! This was perfect!   
She grabbed at him, snatched the hair, and whimpered and pleaded. They'd let her live and even given her back her favorite wand... And they were so stupid that they assumed she'd never dare wait around, hiding again to learn more information...for example, where they were meeting tomorrow...   
Gabrielle had gone home extremely pleased with herself. She whipped up the Polyjuice Potion and in a euphoric haze, drank it...   
Everything had been fine until she looked in the mirror.

Now, sitting under the bridge with her knees drawn up to her chest, nothing was quite as simple as she'd envisioned it. Yes, she knew who the Black Center was. The problem was, it wasn't half so appealing to go turn him in when she knew that it was her own husband.   
She decided to flee from him. What if he killed her when he came home? She knew she wouldn't be able to just act normal, as though nothing were wrong. _I can't afford to make him suspicious._ She scrawled a half-coherent note begging him not to hurt their children, and left the house.   
Gabrielle didn't really think he would harm Sophie and Julien. But then again, apparently he could hide his murderous intentions rather well...maybe his love for them was all fake too. Could her marriage really have been founded on pretend feelings? Gabrielle found herself blinking back tears. She hoped not.   
Maybe Harry had some plan. Maybe the hair had gotten on the Black Center's robes by mistake...maybe the Center wasn't Harry at all.   
There were too many unanswered questions, Gabrielle decided. She really couldn't go to the Ministry until she had more information. She would wait until tonight, slip back and spy on their gathering (in earnest this time - they would never know she was there) and find out exactly what they planned to do.   
If they talked any more about wiping out the opposition, she would strike. Husband or not, she'd assassinate the Center if he was seriously planning an attack... that would probably scare the whole movement into extinction, she thought.   
Yes. Now _that_ is a good idea. Gabrielle went out from under the bridge and sought a place to waste the day. She would just take it easy and relax, preparing herself for what was to come tonight...  
***********************

Harry, for his part, was not nearly so determined. He had no idea whatsoever of what to do. Should he go look for his wife? Gabrielle, he knew, could hide from him if she really wanted to. It had occurred to him that she might have identified him as the Black Center... she was, after all, one of the most observant people he knew. But then, what was the Polyjuice Potion for?   
Too many unanswered questions. He needed advice. Where could he go?   
Not Hogwarts again - Snape had specifically ordered him _not_ to come. "The very best way to foul up well-laid plans," he'd said, "is to second-guess them. There's no reason to meet again before tomorrow night. It would only complicate matters and increase the chances that we'd be spotted."   
So who could Harry talk to? No one, he finally decided. He would just go one with things as planned. Gabrielle could take care of herself. She would be fine, wherever she had gone. For now, he needed to sleep. He would need to be at his best for tonight...  
************************************************

Snape looked out of the window. Night was falling. He'd already told the Headmaster that Sophie and Julien Potter would be serving a detention with him in the Forbidden Forest, helping gather potion ingredients. There was no way they would be missed.   
When a soft knock came at his office door, Snape rose and opened it silently. "Are you ready?" They both nodded eagerly, casting each other frightened, excited glances.   
Julien looked at his watch. "We have two minutes."   
Snape sighed and pocketed his wand. "The Portkey is on my desk." The three of them touched the parchment and waited. Things began to whirl...

When they appeared in the woods, Snape stood still for a few minutes, waiting for the nausea to subside. Sophie tugged on his arm. "Hey, Professor, are you ok?"   
"I hate traveling by Portkey. Set up the camera." As she and Julien began to work, Snape realized something had to be done about her hair. Black as it was, it was still unnaturally luminous, and somehow reflected far too much moonlight. Besides, it would probably be a hindrance if she had to do any sudden moving, so drew his wand and shot a little jet of scarlet light at her that braided it neatly down her back.   
"What'd you do that for? I don't like my hair in a braid," she complained petulantly, moving to undo it.   
"You don't? Well, in that case, I'll just cut it off," he said smoothly.   
"No!" she shrieked loudly, covering her head with her hands.   
"You are lucky that the Circle isn't here yet, Miss Potter, or you would have just signed all of our death warrants."   
Her eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth. "Sorry! I forgot," she whispered. "But I'll be quiet when they come. I promise." She looked around. "Is the microphone set up and hidden?"   
"I Apparated here this morning and set it up where your father said. The wires run under the ground all the way to the tree where we arrived. Don't forget to attach them properly."   
Julien looked up from the tripod he was putting together. "Could you run through what to do in case of emergency, again?" he asked. "I want to make sure I remember everything."   
In his most patronizing tones, Snape explained carefully: "If we are all caught unawares, I'll pretend I came to join the Dark Circle and am bringing you as prisoners to prove my good intentions. If that should happen, you must act like prisoners. Your father and I will do the rest."   
They nodded. "If we see them coming but they don't catch sight of you right away," he continued, "both of you get in the Invisibility Cloak and _lie flat on the ground_ - far too many invisible wizards are hit by stray curses. Lie down and take the camera with you, to protect the evidence that's on it. I will distract them and lead them away."   
Sophie broke in happily. "And if they see us and there's no time to hide-"   
"-I grab the camera and Sophie takes the Cloak-" Julien added.   
"And we duck into little balls and hope we don't hit any rocks or trees!" Sophie finished gleefully.   
"Exactly. It's no laughing matter, though - I will only use a Banishing Charm as a very last resort, of course, but if it happens you'll both probably be hurt pretty badly." Snape shrugged. "And I will most likely be killed while you escape." Then he turned to look at each of them in turn, his fathomless black eyes boring into their childish gazes, and said quietly, "I have high hopes, however, that it will _not_ be necessary for me to die just to give you a few moments in which to get away with the evidence. I intend to take every precaution to ensure that tonight goes entirely as planned. You two had better not make any mistakes."   
They nodded soberly. Julien sneaked a glance at Sophie, who looked paler than usual but otherwise steady. Snape, too, looked completely cool and collected, and Julien began to worry. Was he the _only_ one who was nervous at all? This could all go wrong, go horribly wrong...   
He swallowed with difficulty. "The camera's ready," he said, voice shaking. He stood in position behind it, ready to film. Sophie came and stood next to him. Although it would be safer to cover them with the Invisibility Cloak, the camera might not work if it were covered by such strong magic. Instead, Snape conjured up thick bushes all around the children for concealment, leaving only the tiniest possible hole for the camera to stick out of. Unfortunately, he couldn't hide in there with them... he needed freedom of movement in case of trouble.   
Snape put an Invisibility Charm on himself. He was a strong wizard, of course, but still couldn't make himself vanish completely. His image, instead of a flesh-and-blood person, had degenerated into a hazy, shimmery outline that would certainly be missed unless anybody looked very closely at where he was standing.   
All of a sudden, he drew his breath in sharply and froze in his tracks. Julien and Sophie understood and got absolutely silent immediately. They could make out, through the darkness, the clearing just ahead of them... where the first masked, black-clad wizard had just appeared...

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OK, so now we have three happy little parties, all at cross-purposes with one another, going on tonight... what on earth will happen? It'll be a great big giant fiasco, I promise!  
Just you wait and see!  
And while you're waiting, _write me a review_. Otherwise I will write a horrible cliff-hanger and hold the ending for ransom until you do! (And don't you _dare_ burst my bubble by saying you don't care!)  
:o)  
Thanks for reading.  



	8. Spotted!

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Sorry it's taken me so long to post this chapter. I've had it ready for quite awhile (I have the next chapter too), but I wasn't sure whether or not I liked where the plot was going. If you have any ideas for what you'd like to see happen next, by all means review and tell me! The ending is open for revision...  
Anyhow, the usual disclaimer. The characters aren't mine, except Davis, and I don't want him anyway.  
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Harry materialized a safe distance from the clearing. He performed the spells that would shroud his face and deepen his voice, then, for good measure, drank a bottle of wit-enhancing potion, laughing as he read the label: "_Caution - may have side effects such as disappearance or levitation._"  
When he was ready, he Apparated into the center of the clearing, where the Dark Circle was already assembled.  
"Good evening, everyone. Tonight is the night our plans come to fruition," he greeted them enthusiastically. "The fun part, of course, will take place tomorrow evening, but now is when we make our important arrangements, and decide how things will be once the Dark Order is implemented properly." He got approving nods from all around. "I, of course, will assassinate the Minister of Magic myself. There are, however, a number of other powerful targets. We must make sure that each wizard is assigned a mark he can handle. To that end, then, I want to arrange us all into some kind of order. Does anyone have any idea who ought to be my second in command?"  
After a bit of prodding from the people next to him, a large figure hulked forward. "Yes, Goyle?"  
"I think Lucius Malfoy ought to be your lieutenant. He's probably the most experienced of any of us." Others voiced their assent to this. One person, however protested.  
"Oh, come on! What about _me_?" whined Davis. "I mean, sure, Malfoy is experienced, but I've trained with the best too! I've devoted my life to the Dark Arts. Me and my friends messed up our whole _country!_ Thanks to the Discontentment Charms we spread, Muggle kids _kill_ each other now!"  
"What's the point of that?" scoffed someone else. "Why have them kill each other? I'll kill them all myself! Do you have any idea how many the Dark Lord let me take out? I killed almost _thirty_ people!"  
Davis tried to answer, but Harry cut him off. The noisy American wizard and his stupid henchmen were not Harry's prime targets... it was the old Death Eaters he was after. They'd already had their second chance, and were apparently willing to use it to kill more people. Harry turned the conversation back to Malfoy. "Ah, Lucius, that sounds like a challenge to me," he commented. "I've heard great things about you, you know... what do you think?"  
Swift to defend his name, Malfoy answered, "Without insult intended to Mr. Davis, I must express my belief that I am a better choice for the position than he. I am powerful, knowledgable, and willing to back up my claims with action. Mr. Davis seems far more comfortable expressing himself through his _words_ rather than through his _behavior_."  
Others supported this at once. "Malfoy's the best we've got. I saw him take out a Muggle family of eight with _one curse_, then kill the Auror they sent after him!" "Yes, and his collection of Dark Arts things is better than they have at most _museums_!" "You-Know-Who said he had exceptional talent!"  
Harry stifled a smile. They would all condemn each other! How perfect. Aloud he said, "Yes, Lucius seems to be our man. Very well. Now, as for the rest of you, I don't know you all quite so well... so we'll do this the orderly way. We'll get a hierarchy of some kind together… One at a time, tell me your name and your accomplishments. If you worked with the Dark Lord, be sure to mention it and I'll take it into consideration."  
One by one, the wizards began to step forward and make their confessions.  
********************************************

Gabrielle listened in shock. She was lying in the tall grass, inside the clearing where the Circle was gathered. "This is incredible," she muttered to herself. "They're admitting to everything! The Ministry will be delighted to hear this tomorrow. Even more delighted when I bring them the Black Center's dead body..."  
Something began to tickle her then. A bug! Although she was pretty much out in the open, without the cover of trees or bushes, she was just outside the ring of torchlight...could she risk flicking the annoying insect off with nobody seeing?  
She did it, then lay still again to hear more of what they were saying...   
*******************************************

As the first hiss of "_C'est incroyable!_" came through the camera, Julien sat bolt upright and gasped aloud. Unlike the far-away voices of the Dark Circle, this voice was blurry and loud. And even stranger... "Listen to that person. It's French," he whispered to Sophie.  
"It's _mom_," she corrected instantly. "Don't you recognize her voice? But it sounds like she's really close to the microphone...which means..."  
"...she's lying someplace _inside the clearing!_ Next to the Dark Circle!" Julien hissed.  
They exchanged wide-eyed, frightened glances. "I'll tell Professor Snape. He'll figure out what to do," Sophie whispered. Leaning up against the bushes that surrounded them, she hissed, "Pssstt... Professor?"  
"Be quiet. I can hear you from six feet away," he snarled back softly.  
"No, Professor, this is important," she argued softly. "Our mother's here, we see her through the camera and-" Sophie broke off abruptly, startled, as a jet of dull grayish light sizzled a hole through the bush in front of her. She could see a vague outline of Snape as he approached the hideout.  
"Did you not hear me? I said to be silent."  
At that moment, Sophie felt Julien tug on her robes. She turned around and he whispered, panicked, "Soph, mom's talking about killing the Center. She's creeping closer... Soon either they'll see her, or she'll kill dad. We've got to stop her!"  
Flicking her dark braid over her shoulder, Sophie said stoutly, "Fine. If I haven't the time to explain to him, I'll just go myself." She wiggled out of the bushes, slipped past Snape silently, and began to make her way through the trees around the clearing.  
She was quick and lithe and thin. By the time Snape realized she'd squeezed by him in the darkness, she was ten feet away and getting farther every second. Julien was shocked that she'd snuck off alone like that, and made as though to follow her. He was stopped by Snape's wand, which was poked threateningly into his chest.  
"Get back in there and keep filming," Snape hissed. Agitation was making him visible, and he was alternately very red and very pale as he added, "I'll go after your sister."

He didn't catch up with Sophie until they were almost all the way around the clearing. She'd stopped uncertainly, not quite daring to leave the safety of the trees, but unable to get her mother's attention from where she stood.  
"Miss Potter, I believe I specifically ordered you not to move," he breathed wrathfully. "Now, turn around and go back the way you came."  
"But-"  
"Did you or did you not promise to-"  
"-to obey you unconditionally. Which means doing what you say when you say it. I know, I know," Sophie sighed impatiently, "But my mother's right here. Please, Professor, I have to say something to her."  
"Do you want to survive this night or not? Because if dying appeals to you, then by all means continue to ignore my orders. Otherwise, if you want to live, turn around and go back to your brother!"  
Sophie had never seen Snape looking so angry before. _He's half-invisible and I can STILL see how mad he is,_ she thought. _I'd better do what he says._ She turned to go, but was stopped by an icy whisper from the trees off to her left...  
"Don't move, Snape. Sophie, come over here. Now."

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So, what do you think so far? Tell me!!!   
Thanks for reading.  



	9. Caught!

The usual disclaimer. I don't own these characters; they're free to walk out of my story whenever they want to.

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Gabrielle had her wand aimed squarely at the back of Snape's head. When she'd heard voices coming from the woods, she'd crawled quietly back towards the trees and walked closer to see who it was. And _thank God_ she had!   
Sophie was here, and so was Julien by the sound of things... and that madman, that sick evil Potions master who had given her the shivers ever since her first childhood visit to Hogwarts all those years ago, he stood there threatening their lives! How dare he! How _dare_ he kidnap and threaten her children!   
Of course he'd brought them as prisoners to worm his way back into the Dark Circle in good favor. _If he'll stoop to that, he's capable of anything,_ she reminded herself. _I have to be very careful._ She watched as Sophie emerged tentatively from behind the Professor's creepy figure... "Mama," she began.   
Gabrielle cut her off. "Come here, Sophie," she repeated quietly. "It's all right, _ma petite,_ I'm covering him. If he touches you or even moves, I'll kill him. Do you hear that, you despicable monster?" she addressed Snape sharply.   
Without moving or turning around, he answered in an angry whisper, "You don't understand anything. Now be quiet! If you make any noise, the Circle will hear you!"   
"Oh, don't worry," she responded with a harsh laugh. "I can kill you without making any noise at all."   
"That's not the-" Snape began, and when he cut himself off with a quick motion, Gabrielle was caught off guard. He whirled around, grabbed Sophie, and clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the shriek he knew was coming. "-point," he finished.   
Immediately, Gabrielle saw how thoroughly he'd reversed the situation. As long as he held Sophie as a hostage in front of him, he could do whatever he wanted. Gabrielle tried to take a deep breath to calm herself, muttering involuntarily, "How dare you threaten my baby..."   
"_I_ threaten her?" Snape asked, sounding a lot more confident now. "Madam, _you_ are the one pointing a wand at her head!"   
Gabrielle saw the truth in this at once and lowered her wand. Of course Sophie mustn't get hit with a curse accidentally... She took a small, nonthreatening step forward and asked quietly, "All right. What do you want?" 

_That's better,_ Snape decided. _Now the woman is talking sense._ "What I want is first to remove ourselves from this dangerous location. Go deeper into the woods so we won't be overheard. Sophie and I will follow."   
Gabrielle did as he said, and he pushed Sophie ahead of him, hissing "Don't make noise and don't run away," in her ear. Once they were out of earshot of the Circle, Gabrielle turned to face him.   
"If you're so worried about hiding from the Dark Circle, why have you brought them my children as captives?" she demanded.   
"I haven't-" he began, but Sophie interrupted him.   
"Let me tell it, Professor, please!" she begged. Snape almost refused, but then decided it was probably hazardous to keep such a noisy child quiet for so long. She might explode soon. He nodded his assent, and Sophie launched into a brief explanation of why she and Julien had been brought here. When she finished, Gabrielle turned to Snape.   
"I'll _get_ you for involving my children in this madness," she spat threateningly. "Don't think you're getting away with it. _If_ we both survive this night, I'm coming after you. I mean that."   
"I'm sure you do, Madam," he answered silkily, then allowed a warning note to creep into his voice. "However, I must warn you that I'm probably more than a match for you under any circumstances - be the stakes ever so high - so I'd advise you not to carry a grudge too far. It may help you to bury the hatchet," he added maliciously, "to know that this was _all_ your husband's idea. His fault _entirely._ If I were you, I would resume this argument with _him_...at a later date." He looked around. "Right now, we'd better get back to your son, before he does something stupid as is his wont."   
They turned to go back to where Julien was hidden. As they went, they talked in low whispers about Harry's secret identity. "He hasn't exactly got nerves of steel, but I suppose he's managing," said Gabrielle.   
"He's doing a terrible job, and would have been killed fifty times over if he were a shade less lucky," Snape argued spitefully.   
"Yes, his luck is quite something... I know if _I_ had tried this stunt, I'd have been found out within five minu-" she broke off suddenly when Snape gestured for her silence. They were fast approaching the clearing where the Dark Circle was, and were now within sight. They moved along slowly, making absolutely no noise... that is, until...   
_CRACK!_   
Gabrielle had stumbled over a large branch, which made a tremendous noise as it broke. Instantly, they all froze. Snape looked at her and saw in horror how brightly her golden hair shone in the moonlight. There was no way the Circle would miss them...   
Sure enough, within seconds, heads turned and wands pointed. They were caught.

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A bit of a cliffhanger. Sorry. As usual, I'm going to beg you all for feedback. I figure there are about three or four chapters left after this one... what do you think so far? Thanks for reading. 


	10. Harry Begins ProblemSolving

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, and something tells me that anyhow, they wouldn't take too well to being "owned" in the first place. Can you imagine the look on Voldie's face when we tell him he's the _property_ of a _Muggle_?  
:o)

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Snape had the type of reflexes one can only get from being caught far too often with both hands in the cookie jar. As soon as he saw some of the wizards break rank and run towards them, he hissed to Sophie over his shoulder, "Lie down at once! When we've gone, get back to your brother, and both of you hide and keep still _no matter what happens_."   
He shoved Gabrielle roughly in front of him, hissed "_Expelliarmus!_", and kicked her wand aside. Small cords shot from his wand to tie her hands behind her back. _ I ought to tell her to play along_, he worried, _but they're too close now - they'd hear me_. Well, he would just have to trust the woman to figure things out.

Four masked wizards rushed up to them, wands drawn. Breathing heavily, Snape explained, "I came here to find your meeting, but when I arrived, I found this woman spying in the woods..."   
"No," a cold voice interrupted rudely, "_we_ found this woman spying in the woods - just like we found you! You'll _both_ die for this." The wizard who had spoken began to wave his wand threateningly.   
Gambling everything on the man's American accent, Snape stood up straighter and took on a commanding tone. "Davis, is it not? I've heard of you," he sneered. "You, as I recall, are _not_ the one who voices the wishes of the Dark Circle. I want to see your leader. Now."   
As he'd expected, the pretense of authority swayed them all. Davis stopped his blustering as he and the others surrounded their two prisoners and marched them into camp. "Put that wand away, Severus," came a voice Snape recognized as Avery's. "You can't approach the Black Center armed." Snape and Gabrielle were prodded to the center of the circle and pushed to their knees. Both rose instantly, indignantly, and fixed Harry with defiant glares.

Harry was nearly in a panic. Dimly, he heard Davis announce, "We found these spies, Center, but he says-"   
"I heard," Harry grated. He took a deep breath. _Thank heavens for the wit-enhancing potion,_ he thought gratefully as he began to figure out what to do. First of all, his two objectives were to avoid killing the prisoners, and to keep the respect of the circle.   
_If I were Voldemort, what would I do?_ he wondered. The answer came back instantly, _Whatever I wanted. Act strong and nobody will question._ He remembered how Voldemort, all those years ago, had greeted his disloyal Death Eaters when he rose back into the living: He'd terrorized them, tortured them, and then given them back their old places. That sounded like a fine plan of action for now.   
"Explain yourself," Harry addressed Snape finally, and listened as the Professor rapidly invented a plausible story about Apparating into the woods to meet the Circle, and then finding this woman spying upon them.

When he was finished, Snape waited to hear what Potter would do. To his horror, the idiot nodded his shrouded head in a manner which distinctly suggested that he was satisfied with the prisoner's explanation. _No, no, no!_ Snape thought desperately. _They will expect to see me humiliated and punished! You are going to make them suspicious!_   
He needn't have worried, though, because Harry's next comments showed that he was far from accepting Snape back without reservation. "Your words conveyed the impression that you wished to join our number," he rasped. "But your behavior indicates otherwise. Now, these may no longer be the days of kissing the hems of your Master's robes, but there is still respect due to myself and to all of us. For your own sake, Snape, you had better show some immediately."   
_That's better, Potter._ "M- Center, I apologize for my attitude. I did not know what you would expect of me..." It was definitely strange, he reflected, that he had almost called the boy "Master". It was probably just the old Death Eater instincts kicking in. Snape was sure his old associates remembered how well he'd fawned and groveled when his own life was at stake... well, he wouldn't disappoint them now! It shouldn't be too hard, really, only a grotesque little encore of sorts.   
He sank to his knees, suddenly feeling overly conscious of every gesture. _Self-abasement is so much easier when you're wearing a mask_, he thought wryly. "I won't dissatisfy you again," he promised silkily.   
At this point, several wizards stepped forward to voice their concerns that the prisoner might not be worthy - or _trust_worthy - enough to join the Dark Circle. With his usual slipperiness, Snape addressed the complainers directly. "I assume you refer to the time, many years ago, when I was obliged to trade information to the Ministry in exchange for _my own life_?" he asked scornfully. "I assure you, that 'betrayal' was forced from me under torture and _entirely_ against my will. I will be more careful to avoid capture this time, and it will not happen again. Let me join you, and see what a model member I will become... In a few weeks, no one will _dare_ accuse me of disloyalty again." He waited for the Center's answer, silently willing, _Come on, Potter, scare them! Scare me! Make it look real..._   
"_Crucio!_" Potter's voice cut suddenly into Snape's thoughts. Under other circumstances, Snape might have complained to himself, _This is a little TOO authentic for my liking... the brat will pay for this later_. The agony was so total and all-consuming, though, that it removed any possibility of reaction or even thought.

Harry smiled to himself. It was a difficult spell, and he'd gotten it perfectly correct for the second time in a week now. Good for him! Besides, the victim being Snape, it was kind of _fun_ this time. Still, after a minute he flicked his wand with an exaggerated sort of carelessness to halt the curse.   
"There," he grated. "That was for your betrayal of the Dark Order. You once deserted your brothers when they needed you most... Go to them now and ask forgiveness."   
Harry was flying blind, here, but he caught an infinitesimal nod from Snape as he rose and turned to face the Circle. _Does that mean I'm doing this properly?_ he wondered. He hoped so.   
He only half-listened as the prisoner began spewing unctuous apologies. It was more important right now that he decide how to get Gabrielle out of this mess. Where had she been all day, and what was she doing here? Could he convince his henchmen to let her go again? Probably not. What about letting her escape by herself...could she manage that? But how? And where were the children - why weren't they with either their mother or their teacher? What was going on?   
Unfortunately, Harry had to cut his thinking short. Snape had come back, and dropped to a kneel again in front of him. "Center, I humbly apologize again for my underestimation of you. I beg to be allowed to take my place in the Dark Circle, and offer my skills to you to use as you see fit. I am your servant," he finished silkily. Then, from his knees he somehow sank into a low bow that illustrated a complete subservience and submission.   
_Perfect,_ thought Harry. _No one will question it now._ "Rise," he commanded. "We are _close_ to believing your good intentions. There may still be some kind of test in order, but for now... take your place on the Circle." Snape nodded gratefully and made his way to the space that had suddenly opened for him between two wizards. When he drew a Death Eater mask from his robes and put it on, Harry barely managed to smother a wry smile, thinking: _At least he came prepared._   
Now it was time to deal with Gabrielle.

The Potter children were watching everything, eyes wide and mouths open. Sophie had reached her brother's hideout just as their mother was dragged into the clearing as a captive. At first, she'd tried to explain that this must be some kind of plan, and at first, Julien had believed her.   
Now, though, watching this new turn of events, they were getting more and more uneasy. They saw a bright flash of green light from the clearing, which illuminated the eager faces of the Dark Circle, and Sophie whispered, "What _is_ that curse? It can't be legal..."   
"I don't know, but whatever it was," Julien answered, "it seems to have really hurt Snape. Dad better not even _think_ about pointing it at Mom, because I'll be out there in one second flat, do you hear me?"   
"No, Julien, you can't! It's a _plan_, I told you!"   
He set his jaw resolutely. "Plan or no plan, I'm not letting Mom get hurt," he argued. Sophie hoped their father wouldn't turn the creepy green light on his wife. Because if he did, Sophie knew she'd have little or no chance of stopping Julien from interfering. She and her brother watched, holding their breath, as Harry turned to Gabrielle and beckoned her forward....  
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Can I _please_ get some feedback from all you wonderful people out there? I know I'm amusing _myself_ writing this... am I amusing anybody else? Tell me. Tellmetellmetellme. Or I'll sic the Circle on you.  
Thanks for reading.  



	11. Complications Arise

Disclaimer: Mine, mine, mine! Bwuahahaha! _Obliviate!_ Ha! Now you can all forget that these characters really _don't_ belong to me! Ha. Oops. Did I say that?  
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Gabrielle could read the subtle signals Harry was unconsciously giving out. His breathing was shallow and forced. His voice, raspy as it was, shook more than it should have. Most obvious of all, he kept regripping his wand, fidgeting with it and grasping it so tightly that it seemed he would break it.   
All in all, the signs showed one thing - panic. _He hasn't the slightest idea what he will do now,_ she realized. At least he'd managed to protect Snape. That was one less person to worry about.   
And the children? Well, they seemed to be safe; at any rate they'd not been found by the Circle yet.   
_So all that's left is me, and he doesn't see how he can save me,_ she summarized mentally. Her mind kept wandering to her spare wand... if only she could reach it! She could Disapparate in a second, save herself that way, without jeopardizing the respect Harry had in the Dark Circle. That was best. But how to do it?   
When Harry gestured for her to approach, she sensed that he still had no idea what to do next. She came forward slowly, and decided to again play the damsel-in-distress card that had worked so beautifully the night before. Before he could speak a word, she threw herself at his feet and began weeping hysterically. "Please, _please_ don't kill me, I wasn't going to do you harm, please have mercy!" she wailed.   
Harry took a step away from her uncertainly, and she drew herself up to her knees. She couldn't quite reach her wand just yet...She'd need a few minutes fidgiting with her robes...She'd have to keep everybody distracted so they didn't see what she was doing...   
"You don't mean us harm?" Harry grated sarcastically, apparently ready to go along with whatever plan his wife had devised.   
Still sounding pathetic and desperate, Gabrielle shrieked, "No, no, I didn't! I happened upon you by accident last night, I didn't mean to, please, _please_ don't kill me!" She paused for effect, pretending to gulp back a sob. "And I heard you say you wanted to kill my husband, so I came tonight to find out how, so that I could help him hide, I swear I wasn't going to bother you, please don't kill me, let me live!" Gradually she was worming her way through the folds of robes to reach her target...   
"Hmmmm..." Harry said thoughtfully. At last Gabrielle felt her fingers graze the cool smoothness of her objective, and at the same time sensed the eyes of the Dark Circle turn from her to watch their leader make his decision. With the attention drawn away from her, she finally managed to snatch the wand loose and bring it to bear on herself.   
A flood of relief washed over her. "_Au revoir!_" she screeched, and Disapparated.  
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From Julien's angle, his view of his mother was totally blocked by the creepy shadow of the Black Center. He could hear her shrieking "Please don't kill me!" and then, "Good-bye!" There was a blinding flash of light, and the Center jumped back several feet to reveal... Nothing.   
His mother was gone.   
"NOOOOOOOO!!!" Julien went berserk. His sister was trying to hold him still, safe, under the cloak with her, but it was no good. Shaking off Sophie's restraining arms, he charged from his hiding place into the clearing, screaming madly. _He killed her, he killed Mama, I don't believe it..._ his thoughts were barely coherent. He had his wand out and he was ready to blast every last one of them, curse them until there was nothing left...   
He was running full-speed towards the Dark Circle, crazy with the need to blow them all away, when he suddenly realized that something was wrong. Nobody was reacting to him.   
They weren't moving to curse him or even stare. Matter of fact, the wizards all seemed to be looking in different directions, angry but confused. _It's as though they can't see me,_ he thought, momentarily relieved of his mania.   
Then he looked down at himself. He was still covered by the Invisibility Cloak! No wonder they couldn't see him. And they couldn't hear him anymore, either - his sobs had collected in his throat, choking him off, and making him feel about to explode from grief and rage.   
He could hardly believe that his mother was dead. Gone. Vanished without a trace. Once he realized he couldn't be seen, he went forward more quietly, determined that no one would perceive him until it was too late. At least he could avenge her…   
All at once he stopped dead in his tracks. He was now close enough to hear what the wizards were all saying to each other, and it consisted of things like "What was that sound - could it have been the woman?" "How did she get away?" "I guess she Disapparated...but I thought she wasn't armed..."   
_Get away? Disapparated?_ Julien thought. He echoed it quietly, in a disbelieving whisper. "She made it? She escaped?"   
He stood still, smiling idiotically, not caring when somebody from the Dark Circle yelled, "Then that shouting must have been her! Let's find her!" The wizards fanned out and began to filter into the woods. He still didn't care.   
As a matter of fact, Julien was so relieved over his mother's escape that he didn't care about anything at all… that is, until he heard a loud commotion from where he was supposed to be hiding.   
The manly roar could have belonged to anybody, but the girlish shriek… _Sophie!_ He'd left her there alone, visible… and now somebody had found her.  
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Sophie stood over the unconscious Death Eater, trying to catch her breath. Was the man dead? He'd snuck up behind her and then grabbed her suddenly. It had been the most scary thing of her life….   
So what else could she do? Too panicked to cast a spell, she'd stuck her wand into his eye as fast as she could. Then, when he howled and clutched his face, she'd tripped him and shoved him to the ground. After cracking his head on a tree root, the man went unnaturally still and showed no sign of recovering.   
She heard someone else break through the trees and she screeched again, then covered her mouth and dove for the ground. Maybe they wouldn't see her…   
The person gave a strangled whisper of "Oh, jeez," and was panting for breath. She stood up instantly and looked around.   
"Julien?" He didn't answer, and she started to get nervous. "Yo, 'En, Where are you?!"   
She hoped that hearing his nickname, (which was originally devised to annoy their French mother, who insisted on pronouncing Julien's name without the final consonant), would help him snap out of it. She was right. From the look on his face when it first became visible as he whipped off the Invisibility Cloak, Sophie could tell that Julien had probably been standing in shock for several minutes. When he suddenly ran full speed towards her, she caught him in her arms and tried to listen as he babbled, "Sophie I was so scared, I thought somebody'd killed you, and right before that I thought they'd killed Mom, but she's ok, she's not there, but this is all awful and I-"   
Finally she cut him off. "Quiet down! Let's get rid of this body and then hide - the Dark Circle is all over the place. I think they're looking for us. Take a deep breath and let's decide what to do." 

At this moment, soothing Julien and trying to think how best to save them both, Sophie seemed ages older than her brother. He noticed with a wry smile how adultlike she sounded when she ordered him to calm down…and even more adultlike when she began to take charge of the limp-Death-Eater problem.   
"Right. We'll have to take this guy away and get rid of him."   
"Let's just throw some leaves over him. He doesn't seem about to wake up…"   
"But what if he does come round, Julien? He'll be right next to us. No way."   
She was right, he saw. It would be better to move him someplace else - that way, if he did regain consciousness and raise the alarm, at least the Dark Circle would come swarming to the _wrong_ place. Julien sneaked a sideways glance at her and saw that she didn't much relish the idea of dragging her attacker all about the forest, so he offered, "I can do it myself, Sophie… you don't have to come. I'll get rid of him."   
Sophie hugged him gratefully. "Thanks, 'En. He gives me the shivers. Just take him someplace… but be careful - he's still breathing so theoretically he could wake up any second. Take the cloak."   
He nodded and set off slowly, dragging the Death Eater by the feet through the woods as quietly as he could. He set the man down someplace relatively far away, then began to make his way back to his sister. He was almost there when a voice spoke up very close to him. "I hear you," the person hissed. "Show yourself! Where are you?"   
Julien froze instantly as he saw the figure in a Death Eater mask barely five feet away. _Go away, go away, assume you heard the wind not a person,_ he willed the wizard silently. He watched the masked face turn this way and that, as though trying to sniff out his invisible quarry. Finally the man gave up, sighed, and turned to go off in a different direction.   
Sick with relief, Julien raced through the brush back to Sophie. She was crouching motionless in the shadows behind a tree, and even knowing where she was, it took him awhile to make her out.   
"All right, Soph, I'm back," he said breathlessly, taking off the cloak. He'd decided not to tell her about almost getting caught. Why scare her? She was probably terrified enough already. "So now we have to hide. I think if we can stay hidden, Dad and Snape can get rid of the creeps again, make them go home or something."   
She whirled around at the sound of a twig cracking… but it was only a squirrel. Nervously she shook her head around and demanded, "Is my hair really that shiny? Mom's hair is what got us caught before… maybe we really do need to cut mine off…"   
"That's crazy."   
"Good," she said with a smile, "because I don't want to. Now let's bury the camera in the leaves someplace so the magic doesn't mess it up, then get under the cloak and go back where we're supposed to be."   
"Ok. They seem to think the noise I made before was somehow Mom's fault, so in a few minutes when they don't find her _or_ us, they'll probably give up."   
After hiding the camera, they sat down on the ground, back to back, and covered themselves with the Invisibility Cloak. Julien could hear his sister's breathing, and the far-off sounds of wizards breaking through the forest in their mad search. Other than that, the night was totally quiet until Sophie whispered tremulously, "So...um...'En...Are you _sure_ Mom's safe?"   
This made Julien uncomfortable - so far, Sophie had sounded calm and collected, as though she knew exactly what to do. Her fear made him more afraid, but he answered with false cheerfulness, "Yeah, of course - they said she Disapparated."   
She, too, wanted to hide her nervousness, so she pretended to feel more secure. "Perfect. Then if we stay where we're supposed to be until Snape comes back for us like he said, nothing else bad can happen."   
Nothing else bad could happen? Yeah, right.  
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Bigtime apologies for taking so long with this chapter. I've been on vacation. I hope you liked this part...the next part shouldn't take nearly as long.  
Feedback, please....?  
Thanks.  



	12. Potions and Side Effects

Disclaimer: While the increasingly screwy plot line is all mine, the characters etc all belong to that wizard J.K. Rowling.

Harry Warning: Harry may still seem a little pathetic to everybody after this chapter, but I promise - he'll get better. Just not yet.

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The Dark Circle had now scattered itself throughout the woods, and Harry, as was becoming usual for him, was lost in a haze of confusion. Gabrielle had escaped, hadn't she? Then what was that awful screaming noise that had interrupted the meeting? It had sounded like a deranged rhinocerous charging at them... an _invisible_ deranged rhinocerous.   
Invisible. So maybe it had been the children, in the cloak? But no - what on earth would possess them to rush out and disturb the Dark Circle, especially at the exact moment when he'd finally got things under control again?   
These questions and more were racing around in Harry's brain. He was just standing alone, by the edge of the woods, thinking. Then, suddenly, his head smacked against something hard and leafy. _I hit a tree branch?_ he wondered dimly. _But I'm not moving._   
Well, that was strange. That was really strange. He looked upwards and sure enough, there was a branch waving right in his face. _Where did that come from?_ he asked himself, and looked downwards. Big mistake - the ground was nearly twenty feet away. Somehow, inexplicably, Harry was up in the air!   
That explained the branch - he didn't WALK into a tree, he FLEW into one. _Now how the hell did that happen,_ he wondered, _since I don't even know how to levitate!_ He was fighting down panic.   
Within seconds, Harry learned something else about his strange levitation - he didn't know how to reverse it, and consequently he was stuck in midair with no way to get down.   
Finally he identified the problem. It must be that awful wit-enhancing potion! _I suppose I should have paid more attention to the label_, he thought ruefully. Damn these side effects! Now what? Sit and wait, he decided.   
He'd been in the air for almost a quarter of an hour before someone came into view on the ground. "Ahem. You. Look at me. Above your head," he growled. It was hard to stay in the character of the evil Black Center while begging pathetically for help. How could he explain his stupidity?   
"Center? What's going on?" the wizard asked, and Harry almost shouted with happiness. It was Snape!   
"You're just about the most welcome sight in the world, Professor," Harry started quickly, "because I can't get down, so could you please-"   
"How far can you see from up there?" Snape called loudly, drowning out Harry's voice. He sounded angry. "Can you see whether there is _anyone else_ nearby?"   
Harry shut up immediately, hoping that nobody else had heard him. He looked around and saw that nobody was very close, so he shook his head and whispered back, "Sorry. There's no one else in earshot, though. Could you help me?"   
Snape shook his head and hissed, "I don't think I can venture to guess why you levitated yourself. Would you please enlighten me?"   
"I didn't do it on _purpose,_" Harry snarled, exasperated. "It was that stupid wit-enhancing potion I took."   
"A _potion_ did that to you?" Snape sounded horrified now. "As a side effect? Good lord, Potter, it could be caused by any number of ingredients! What do you expect me to do for you? Do you think I carry around antidotes wherever I go?" His tone became sarcastic as he advised, "If I were you, I would use my newly-enhanced wits to think of an explanation to give the Dark Circle as to why I am stuck in the air with no way down - because they'll be expecting to hear from you very soon, and I certainly don't see any way of reversing whatever you drank."   
This was terrible! "Isn't there a spell you could use?" Harry asked desperately.   
"To counter that potion? No. Can you move around at all?"   
Harry was almost in tears. He tried moving a little, and discovered that he could sort of swim through the air. It was a slow process, but he could at least drag himself among some tree branches where the Circle would be less likely to notice him. "I can go side to side, but not down," he rasped finally.   
"Then just stay hidden. The effects will probably wear off eventually," Snape said, before starting to move off into the trees again.   
"Wait! Where are you going? D-" Harry stopped himself from pleading, "Don't leave me!"   
"I am going to find your children and bring them here - they obviously cannot be trusted to take care of themselves alone. Perhaps you and they can baby-sit one another while I deal with the rest of the Circle."  
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Sophie and Julien's hideout had been perfectly quiet for several minutes. Then, a lone Death Eater came into view and began looking around the place expectantly.   
Sophie nudged her brother and breathed, "Don't move - the leaves'll rustle. Maybe he'll go away." They stayed absolutely frozen, watching with growing trepidation as the creep carefully searched the area all around where they were sitting. After looking around and behind the nearby trees, he held himself totally motionless and cocked his head, listening for the sounds of nearby people.   
Finally, seemingly satisfied that no one was about, he abandoned his search and just stood for a moment. The children exhaled the breaths they'd been holding, and waited for the person to leave. Instead of going away, though, he spoke.   
"Are you two still here? Come out," he whispered in a commanding tone.   
Julien seized Sophie's arm in terror. "Oh, no," he whispered. "I saw that guy when I was alone before! He talked to me then, too. How does he know we're here? Can he see through the Cloak, do you think?"   
She looked at him incredulously. "Julien, really! Before, you didn't recognize Mom's voice through the camera, and now you're saying you can't tell who that is? You're weird," she laughed aloud and rose, tossing off the cloak. "Hey, Professor. We're over here."

Snape debated whether to exhibit relief or annoyance. After all the things that had gone wrong tonight, and all the people who had misplaced themselves and thrown the plans off, how was he to know whether or not the brats would be hidden in the proper place? And then he'd seen that unconscious Death Eater in the forest...knocked out by ordinary Muggle means. And _then_, he'd gotten here and it had been totally, completely silent. None of the little fidgity noises he would have expected from a pair of frightened children. He had definately, for a few moments, feared that they'd been captured or killed.   
_And now the girl just stands up and tosses off a chipper "Hey, Professor." I should curse her, I really should_. As usual, annoyance won out.   
"Sit down and be quiet," he snapped, "before you give us all away."   
They sat. "Has something gone wrong, sir?" Sophie asked worriedly.   
"Several things have gone wrong, Miss Potter. The first was the unexpected and entirely unwelcome appearance of your mother. We finally brought that sitaution under control, but then _someone_ disturbed everything by making noise and running around invisible." He glared at Julien. "Am I right in assuming that that was you, Potter?"   
Julien nodded wordlessly.   
Tempting as it was, Snape didn't take the time right away to yell at him. He merely shook his head and said disgustedly, "Idiot. And I suppose it was also you whom I encountered in the woods before? When I asked you to show yourself and you did not answer?"   
Julien nodded again, looking miserable. All ready with another mean comment, Snape was interrupted suddenly by Sophie, who spoke up pertly in her brother's defense.   
"Don't yell at him for that, okay? If you wanted us to listen to you, then why'd you come after us dressed in that creep suit? We can't even _see_ who it is when you've got a mask on." Then, her eyes widened as she realized how rudely she'd been speaking. "Sorry," she added quietly, "but it's true."   
_Creep suit?_ Snape abruptly decided that there was no more time for talking. Of _course_ he wasn't just quitting the conversation because she was _right_ and he was _wrong_ - certainly _not_. Right. That had _nothing_ to do with it, he told himself. They really _did_ have to get going. Immediately.   
"Listen closely, both of you. A problem has arisen-" he broke off. "That was unintentional."   
"What was unintentional?" Sophie asked, confused.   
"_Arisen_ - it was a poor choice of words. Or rather, a perfect choice. You see, the problem is that your father, with his usual lack of foresight, has levitated himself and gotten stuck that way. He is quite at a loss."   
"_What?_" Sophie exclaimed.   
"Dad's in the _air_?" Julien asked simultaneously. "Cool!"   
"_Not_ cool! It's dangerous!" Sophie rounded on her brother and seemed about to slap him. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Snape couldn't help but be amused by the seams in the Potter Patrol (as he'd privately termed the irritating brother-sister team).   
He cleared his throat, and the bickering children fell silent immediately. "Exactly. It _is_ dangerous, and in order to deal with it, I will need you to carefully follow my instructions." He paused and looked them over. "Has either of you been hurt?" They shook their heads. "Good. And are you both mentally... prepared? Not on the verge of a breakdown?"   
"We're fine, sir," said Sophie gravely. "What do we need to do?"   
_Good question_, thought Snape. _If only I knew._ "Well... follow me, and I will take you to him. Wear the cloak and make no noise."  
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The infamous Black Center was floating aimlessly in the air, helpless and frustrated. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, he heard a voice from the ground. "Center, have any of the others come by?" Snape called up to him.   
"Nope. It's all clear," Harry grated in a despondent tone.   
Instantly, Snape's voice lost the ingratiating oiliness. "Well, that is one less problem with which we have to contend. Have you thought of anything?"   
Harry shook his head no. Before he could say anything, though, he was interrupted by an impatient, "_There_ you are!"   
After the split second of startled panic, he felt relieved. "Gabrielle! Where are you, dear? Oh, thank God!"   
Gabrielle came forward and waved up at him. "I have been looking everywhere! What's going on? When I Disapparated, I went home for a few minutes to calm down and think, but then I came back in case you needed anything, and now I am finding mass chaos! _Qu'est-ce qui se passe?_"   
He laughed sheepishly. "Well, Gabby, there's a bit of a problem here, as you can see. I took a potion before, and as a side effect it levitated me, and now I can't get down." Now that his wife was here, Harry felt much, much better. He wished fervently that he was down on the ground, so that he could recieve a comforting hug...   
"I have an idea," snapped Snape, who seemed less than comforted by Gabrielle's appearance. "Why don't you go back home? With any due respect, Mrs. Potter, you've been nothing but a source of problems all evening."   
"Quit it, Snape," Harry snarled right back. He was glad, now, that he was still using the creepy Black Center voice. It sounded so much more impressive when he wanted to be obeyed... "Let me handle things now, OK? I have an idea."   
"Silence, everyone!" Snape announced mockingly. "Potter has an idea!" Under his breath he muttered, "this should be interesting."   
Harry didn't care that Snape was making fun of him. Everything would work out! His plan made perfect sense. "All right, listen here. Snape and Gabrielle, you guys Apparate to my house and make me an antidote to this potion. In my closet, there's another bottle of the stuff I took, so you can see the ingredients and figure out how to counter it. Sophie and Julien can't Apparate, but they can stay here and -" he broke off all of a sudden and coughed. His voice was cracking. "Hey, guys, do I sound strange to you?" he asked.   
"Finish your proposal, Potter, and worry about the rest later," Snape said impatiently. "It might be feasible."   
"Right. Well, as I was saying, Sophie and Julien can stay here, or go get the camera, or something. I'll call the Circle together and end the meeting. I'll just pretend to have levitated on purpose...if they've believed me this far, they'll believe anything," Harry wheezed.   
Ruthlessly shattering Harry's optimism, Snape scorned, "They will believe nothing, Potter, if you cannot speak it in the distinct and menacing tone you've grown so fond of. If you want to address the Dark Circle, you'll have to recast the voice charm first. Then, I want to hear exactly what you plan on telling them, and if it sounds remotely credible, perhaps I'll gather your disciples here for you."   
"OK, sure." Harry drew his wand and pointed it at his voice box. He recited the voice-deepening charms, then said, "There. Now, I'll explain-" he stopped.   
"Dad, it didn't work!" Julien exclaimed.   
"Yeah, really! Your voice didn't change at all," Sophie confirmed.   
A frightening suspicion began to claw at Harry's brain. "Uh-oh. What if the potion was worse than I thought? What if there are more side effects? What if.... _Lumos!_ Oh, no! _Avis! Reducto! Point me!_ No spells are working!"   
"Harry? You mean you can't use magic at all?" Gabrielle asked hesitantly.   
"No," he whispered, horrified. "Not at all."  
****************************************************************************

It won't be so long between chapters from here on. I've got everything mostly written now - I just have to code it in HTML. What does everybody think? Gimme feedback! Or I will curse the whole wide world, starting with this story, and make it spontaneously combust...and don't think I can't, either. Harry's not the only one who's been studying Dark Arts on the sly...  
:o)  
Thanks for reading.


	13. Out of the Frying Pan

Disclaimer: *drinks Polyjuice Potion* Yes! Yes! I am now JKR, and these characters all therefore belong to _me_! Bwuahahahahaha!

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Snape swore viciously and kicked apart a dead log on the forest floor. "Now what?! Potter, you idiot, you can't even call off the meeting now, can you? You need to reassure the Circle and send them all off to bed soon, before we are all found out and killed! And now you can't!"   
"I- I'm sorry-" Harry started timidly, but was cut off by a fresh outburst.   
"YOU HAVE MADE A COLOSSAL MESS OF EVERYTHING, AS USUAL, POTTER!" Snape yelled up at him. "AND NOW WE ARE ALL IN DANGER! I CAN'T BELIEVE-"   
Harry sighed. Towering thirty feet above his old teacher, he _should_ feel confident enough to growl an authoritative, "Shut up!"...but he couldn't manage it. Snape's tirade kept him (and everyone else too, apparently) far too cowed to get a word in edgewise.   
To Harry's surprise, Sophie finally stepped forward and, by tugging timidly on Snape's sleeve, silenced him instantly. "Um, Professor, you're making a whole lot of noise," she whispered.   
"Yes, calm yourself, please do," Gabrielle said firmly. "If Harry can't use magic, it will only mean a slight change of plans. I still have some Polyjuice Potion left. I can impersonate him for now, send the Dark Circle home, and then we have all the time in the world to figure out how to get Harry down."   
For a long minute, nobody spoke. Then, "Wow...that's just _weird_," said Julien.   
"Bad enough to have _one_ Black Center in the family..." Sophie muttered.   
Snape was looking a little calmer and saner now. "It's very dangerous, but it could work," he said doubtfully, "if you can play the role properly. Can you? I wouldn't think so...but then again, your husband up there surprised me - I would never have expected him to have either the stomach or the ability to make such good use of the Cruciatus Curse..."   
That comment made Harry cringe a little. "Er...yes, I've been meaning to apologize for that. I really didn't know what else to do, and I-"   
He was relieved to be interrupted by an impatient wave of Snape's hand. "Don't apologize. We haven't the time, and anyway it served the necessary purpose. I am alive."   
"Okay. Well, anyway...Gabrielle, he's right, you'll be risking your life if you do it..." Not wanting to pressure her, he didn't beg. _Please, please go through with it! Or I'll be stuck up here all night..._   
"I will do it," she answered finally.   
Harry smiled. "Okay. The charm for your face is _Obvisajate_. For your voice, you should mix _Bassivocus_ and _Discordantia_. Watch - I'll show you the wand movements."

Within minutes, Gabrielle was disguised to Harry's satisfaction. "You sound enough like me, you look just like me, and if you can fake the attitude, you'll be fine," he assured her. "Just remember - they're all afraid of you. You're the boss."   
She nodded soberly. "I'll manage," she grated. "But we still have to worry about getting you down. We can't leave you there forever, and besides I might need you to take over if I can't control them. I've got absolutely no experience being an evil overlord, you know."   
Snape broke in, "I shall go and immediately begin brewing an antidote. Where can I get a sample of the potion you took?"   
"My house, in my closet. Will you be able to find it, do you think?"   
To Gabrielle's dismay, Sophie piped up, "I can show you, if you want."   
After this comment, a guarded argument ensued. Gabrielle, who still didn't trust the Potions master, didn't want Sophie to go anyplace alone with him - after all, it would be so easy for him to run right to the Circle with her and hand her in, to get his own self out of danger. She tried to think of excuses as to why Sophie ought not to go.   
Julien, on the other hand, was immensely relieved that his sister had volunteered. _He_ certainly didn't want to have anything more to do with Snape than was absolutely necessary. Then again, he had to pretend that he was willing to help, too, or he might look cowardly.   
Snape's position was the most delicate. He had to convince a distrustful Gabrielle to hand over her little girl, insisting that she was the assistant he required...while at the same time trying not to offend the woman by explaining that her son was far too stupid to be of any help whatsoever.   
Eventually the tangled arrangements were complete. Gabrielle finally conceded - Sophie would help brew the potion, while Julien stayed with Harry in case he was needed for anything.   
As he was leaving, Snape managed to make Gabrielle angry one last time, by turning to Harry and asking, "And are you _sure_ that she can manage her task alone?"   
"I can manage it just fine, sir," she said icily. "I'm a grown woman with better magical capabilities than you seem to think."   
"My apologies," he answered, offering a small, slightly mocking bow. "Good luck to you. Sophie, come with me."  
************************************   
The Potions work would take place at the Potter house, but getting there took a lot longer than Snape would have liked. Since Sophie couldn't Apparate, it was necessary to use a combination of Muggle transportation and Floo Powder. They chose a parked car, charmed its engine to life, and stole it. Snape drove to the nearest wizarding household he knew of, knocked politely, then peremptorily informed the sleepy homeowner that an emergency had arisen and "we will need brief but immediate use of your fireplace."   
Finally, nearly half an hour after leaving the Dark Circle meeting, they were ready to get down to business.   
Sophie found the bottle of Wit-Enhancing Potion, and Snape stared at the label for several minutes before ordering, "All right, Miss Potter, I need the following ingredients: scarab paste, crushed dodo beak, oil of..."   
He continued to rattle things off as Sophie rushed around, going through cabinets and trying to keep up with his orders.   
Finally she had everything. They set up a cauldron and began adding things in one by one, occasionally stirring or reciting charms to help the substance's brewing. Soon, the mixture was almost ready, and all that was left was to stir it until it reached a slow boil, pouring in a few things here and there. Snape conjured a chair to sit on, sighing and plopping down in it rather melodramatically.   
"Do you want something to eat or drink or anything?" Sophie asked cautiously. He noticed with dismay that she was smothering yawns every few minutes.   
"No, I am fine," he replied, glancing at the clock. "But it is almost three o'clock in the morning. You may sleep for a while if you are tired."   
"May I? All right," she said delightedly. "Just wake me if you need anything." Without further ado, she dragged herself from the kitchen and fell onto a couch. Snape suspected that she was already asleep in midair, because the minute she touched the cushions, a soft wheezy sort of snoring began issuing from the living room.

Ten minutes later, the mixture still wasn't ready. Sophie's breathing was still audible, and Snape was continually annoyed to find his own breathing falling in perfect time with it.   
He was vaguely concerned as to how things were going in the woods. _But the woman's job wasn't difficult,_ he told himself firmly, _and she swore she was well up to it._ He pushed the events in the forest to the back of his mind - it was important now that he concentrate on the potion in front of him. But it was so hard, when his head was clouded by fatigue and the treacherously soothing cadence of a child's deep breathing!   
_I can't even stay awake, much less mix a potion properly, if she keeps that up!_ he thought, irritated. With his wand, he levitated her a few inches and dropped her again, which for a moment seemed effective. Sophie was quiet...   
... for a second or two. Then she groaned in protest and began tossing and turning in her sleep, trying to wiggle her way back into the comfort Snape had apparently disrupted. Her sleep disturbed, she soon opened her eyes and looked around.   
After blinking confusedly a few times, she yawned and called crossly into the kitchen, "All right, what do you want?"   
"Nothi-" Snape broke off. A searing pain had just shot through his left forearm. _Damn it, it's the Mark! Who is calling me now?_ Who else? It had to be Potter.   
"Get up," he ordered sharply. "Now."   
She obeyed, looking apprehensive. "What happened?"   
"Your father," he answered, "seems to be trying to communicate with me. It could be important, so I'll go, and you will stay and watch over the potion. Keep mixing it, and-"   
"No!" she said loudly, looking panicked. "Professor, you know how you always yell at me in class...I keep making mistakes...I'm terrible at Potions, and I'm liable to ruin it!"   
He gestured impatiently for her to approach the cauldron. "I realize that, Miss Potter, and I certainly hate to leave an important and experimental potion in the hands of a first-year student... However...you know, I really shouldn't tell you this, because I'm sure it will infect you with the sickeningly self-loving attitude shared by the rest of your family...but I think you will be able to handle the potion. I have some slight faith in your abilities; at any rate I'm thankful it's you and not your brother to whom I'm entrusting things. Make sure you just stay alert and watch for any signs of change. Add more grindylow brain when it starts to thicken. I should be back in a few minutes."   
She nodded. "All right," she said miserably, "but _hurry_. This'll probably explode soon with me at the wheel, and there's probably nothing wrong in the woods anyhow."   
He Disapparated without answering.  
*************************************************

What _had_ happened in the woods during Snape and Sophie's little alchemy session? Plenty....

Gabrielle took a deep breath and shot an enormous glob of dark greenish light into the air. As she'd expected, the signal drew the Dark Circle back to her, and they all came and wordlessly took their places. Unfortunately, the others picked up immediately on the fact that Snape's spot was vacant.   
"Center, it looks as though Severus has gone missing," Lucius Malfoy said with barely suppressed smugness. "Apparently I was right - he's not to be trusted."   
"Let's execute him!" cried Davis enthusiastically. "He deserves it!"   
She held up her hand for silence. Trying to imitate Harry's manner of speech as closely as possible, she declared, "Snape's whereabouts are not unknown to me."   
"Oh, good," said Davis cheerfully. "It'll be easy to go finish him off, then."   
She raised her wand as though to curse him, and he fell silent. "Do not interrupt me again," she cautioned. "I will tell you what steps I have taken to ensure his loyalty."   
_Steps? What steps? Dear God, what am I saying? Think of something, quickly!_ Luckily, her hesitation was so small it was taken for a deliberate pause. "I have sent him on a mission," she began slowly, then finished in a rush as a plausible explanation came into her head. "I have sent him, as part of his...er...probation, to deal with the Veela-woman who escaped from us tonight. He is to find her, catch her, and bring her here at eight o'clock tomorrow evening. If he does not, we will know that he's either unable or unwilling to serve us properly, and we will kill him."   
"And if he does?" someone prompted eagerly.   
"If he does... then we can have a little fun with her before heading out on our various elimination tasks," she answered with a harsh laugh.   
"So the massacre's definitely tomorrow?" Davis asked.   
"Yes. We will meet here at seven o'clock - an hour earlier than I told Snape to appear - deal with him first, then get to work...I'll expect our enemies all dead by about midnight. Of course, if our dear slippery friend Severus decides to turn on us, our early arrival will ensure that we catch any Ministry forces off-guard. Depending which way Snape's loyalties lie, we may very well find ourselves with a rousing fight against Aurors here before we go for the easier kills later. Be prepared."   
Nods came from around the circle. "And one more thing," she rasped. "Do not spoil our plans by acting early. If I hear that any one of you has taken premature steps to kill his victim before our meeting, I will be..._most displeased._ And I will exhibit my displeasure in the most graphic manner imaginable. Do you all understand?"   
More nods. "Good. Then I will see you all tomorrow evening. Go home and get some sleep... you won't be doing much sleeping tomorrow night. We are adjourned."   
She folded her arms and stood impassively for a moment, then Disapparated, expecting the Circle to do the same.

And for the most part, they did. The clearing emptied itself rather quickly, until all that was left was a few stragglers milling about the dying torches, and one shadowy figure leaning against a tree watching them intently. "Malfoy! Are you still around?" the person asked.   
One of the wizards turned to face him. "Yes, Davis, I am. What do you want?" The contempt in his tone was evident, and Davis began to seethe. _Who the hell does he think he is? **I** was the one who brought the Circle together in the first place!_   
"I want to talk to you. Alone. Send your buddies home." Davis was pleased to notice that he sounded dire and frightening, like the hero cowboy in an old Western movie.   
A nod from Malfoy was all it took to make the other wizards Disapparate. He took a few steps forward, and Davis warned, "Think you're slick? I see you reaching for that wand. And don't think I'm not covering you." He uncrossed his arms and shot a few sparks from his wand, which was pointed directly at Malfoy's chest.   
"Are you trying to frighten me?" Malfoy laughed rudely. "It's not working. Stop trying to sound threatening - you're terrible at it - and just tell me what you want."   
Davis felt himself flush. "What I want is for you to lose that attitude! You think you're sooooo hot, don't you? You think you run the place. Well, you don't! You and your stupid British buddies would still be at home, uh, _knitting,_ or whatever you people do here, if _I_ hadn't come and assembled you all! I! Me! _I_ deserve some recognition here, and instead everyone bows down to _you_. You're old. You're a has-been. And I'm warning you...I've had it!"   
Infuriatingly enough, his rage seemed at first only to amuse Malfoy, who chuckled and shook his head. Then, he grew serious, took off his Death Eater mask and narrowed his eyes. Walking forward slowly, he whispered, "You had better watch your mouth, young man, or I will curse you. And then..._then_ we will see how much of a 'has-been' I am..." He gave a chilling smile which made Davis back away a few feet. "Or rather, _I_ will see... once I get through with you, there will no longer _be_ a 'we'..."   
"All right - stay back!" Davis ordered, voice shaking. He tried to raise his wand and hold it steady, but he was trembling too much. Malfoy started laughing yet again. _That's it! He's going down!_ In a minute, the fear vanished and was replaced with anger.   
Davis shot an enormous fireball from his wand. Unfortunately, his enemy had been expecting something of the kind, and dove for the ground expertly. Not only did the fireball miss Malfoy completely, it also slammed into one of the torches and blazed into the bushes nearby.   
"Oh, crap!"   
Wood and pitch and magical fire roared to life as a huge mass of voracious flame. As the fire started catching on trees, brush, and fallen leaves, the two wizards stood speechless. In a few seconds' time, they'd started a big forest fire that neither could put out with simple extinguishing spells.   
"We'd better think up a good story, or we're gonna be in _so_ much trouble when the Center finds out..." Davis muttered to Malfoy, then realized that Malfoy was already gone. "He Disapparated on me, the snake!" Davis exclaimed. "When the Center sees this mess, he'll have my head!"   
All by himself, facing a wall of flame which seemed to be growing every minute, Davis debated his next move. _Should I try to put it out? No, I'll never be able to. Should I leave? Yeah. Why not? Who cares if the trees burn down? Should I admit to the Center that it was my fault? No, not unless I have a death wish. I'll go and pretend I don't know anything about this._ Once he made his decision, he too disappeared into thin air, leaving the fire to eat through the abandoned forest unchecked. Although....   
The forest was not quite as abandoned as he believed.  
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Hey, I warned you last time about the danger of spontaneous combustion.  
Speaking of last time, did nobody like the last chapter? (pouts). Nobody reviewed. We're getting near the end - only a few more chapters left - so if you are ever going to have a heart and write me... do it soon!  
I really want to know what you all think.  
Thanks for reading.  



	14. And, of course, into the Fire

Disclaimer: Does anybody actually read the disclaimer? Fish, polywogs, glass bowls and oranges. How's that for a disclaimer?

Harry fans, rejoice! Harry improves...slightly... in this chapter. Read the A/N at the end of the chapter for an explanation on my take on Harry, if you're interested.

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For about a minute and a half, Sophie was doing just fine. The potion simmered quietly in her kitchen and she stirred it, waiting impatiently for Professor Snape to return. Then, unexpected things began to happen.   
The mixture abruptly changed color to bright red. Worse, it started bubbling and splashing all over the place. Remembering disasters from Potions class, Sophie jumped back from the cauldron to avoid getting splashed by the liquid. _I'd better stay well out of the way. The last thing I need right now is to get shrunk or anything!_ she thought. But now what?   
"Ok. Ok. Be logical," she whispered aloud. She tried to calm her breathing and think clearly. _What's going on? It seems to be boiling. It must be overheating. But what did Snape say to do about an overheating potion? Um..._   
"Julien just had this problem in class a week ago," she encouraged herself. "Now how did it go again?" She closed her eyes and recalled the fiasco in class. Julien's panicked face...the potion flying all over...and Snape's icy voice: _Unless you are deliberately trying to destroy my whole classroom, you had better add....umm...._   
"_...kelpie fins immediately!_" Sophie finished excitedly. That was it! Kelpie fins.   
Once she added the kelpie, the potion returned to normal and looked exactly like before. Now, all that was left to do was to continue following Snape's instructions until he got back.

In a matter of minutes, he returned and she smiled brightly, all ready to brag how her quick thinking had saved the experiment. She didn't get to, though, because the second he saw the potion, he narrowed his eyes and sucked a long breath through his nose. _Uh-oh_, she thought.   
He moved closer and bent over the cauldron, then sniffed again. "Kelpie?" he snarled. "Did I say anything about adding kelpie?"   
Under her breath, she muttered, "He can _smell_ it. What a freak." Aloud, though, she apologized quickly, "I know you didn't say to, but it was overheating, and in class you said that-"   
"The potion was overheating?"   
"Yes," she said firmly, "it was definitely boiling and splattering. And the color was changing."   
Without a single trace of congratulation, Snape confirmed flatly, "Then you did the right thing. The kelpie cools it but won't otherwise affect anything." He paused, then changed the subject suddenly. "There's another emergency in the woods. I don't have time to explain it all, but you should know that the situation is, again, grave. The potion will be ready in a moment, and then I shall take it back to the woods with Apparition. You will stay here until everything is sorted out."   
"What! No way!" she cried indignantly. "You're not just leaving me here! I want to help."   
Still mixing in the final ingredients, Snape didn't even turn to look at her. "No."   
"That's not fair! What's happening? Is everybody ok?"   
He scooped a vial full of the potion and stuck it in his sleeve, then straightened and looked down at her. "I don't know. The Circle is gone, but somebody has set a forest fire and your parents have somehow lost track of your brother."   
_Lost track of your brother lost track of your brother lostrackofyourbrother lostyourbrotherlostyourbrother...._   
The short, dire phrase echoed in Sophie's mind over and over again. Her eyes widened and she shuddered so violently that she half-toppled into the nearest chair. _Julien! Something's happened to Julien!_ All of a sudden somebody shook her and she realized that she'd been sitting absolutely still, mouth wide open, for a long time. She forced her eyes to focus, and saw Snape's face staring back at her from only a few inches away. He shook her again. "Sophie! Listen to me!"   
Finally she snapped out of it. "All right. I can't Apparate. I can't go. But you go, you find Julien, hurry. Please! If there's a fire...oh... Make sure he's okay..." her voice was cracking and tears were forming in her eyes.   
Snape, on the other hand, was all business. "When the fire broke out, your father ordered him to seek safety - he was supposed to head straight northwest until he was out of the forest. It is impossible that he got lost - we pointed him in the right direction - all he had to do was walk straight ahead. Even Julien Potter cannot make a mistake that simple...by accident. My thought is that he may have tried to do something heroic and stupid. Do you have any ideas?"   
Making an effort to compose herself, Sophie gulped and nodded. "Yeah...well actually, no, not really. But I can tell you what we did tonight, maybe you can figure where he went." She ran briefly through what had happened to her and Julien, starting at the point when she'd returned to him while Snape was captured by the Circle. He listened attentively, still kneeling in front of her chair.   
When she was done, Snape stood up. "Your parents and I will be back soon. Now...you have accomplished far more tonight than I would have expected you to...your part is done. Go lie down and wait."   
He Disapparated and she stared bemusedly at the place where he had been standing. "I believe grouchy old Snape just _complimented_ me," she giggled to herself. "Weird."   
She forced herself to think positive...Julien _would_ be found, safe, ok... and went to her room.  
*****************************************************

Snape Apparated directly underneath Harry. He pulled out the vial in his sleeve and carefully levitated it, then backed up to wait for Harry's return to earth.   
Seconds after drinking the solution, Harry began sinking slowly, sighing with relief when his feet finally touched the forest floor. He wasn't given much time to recover from his ordeal, however.   
"Where is your wife?"   
"She went to look for Julien. She thinks maybe he went the wrong way, maybe he got confused somehow and-"   
"I may have a low opinion of your son's intelligence, Potter," interrupted Snape, "but I find it hard to believe that he is incapable of walking in a straight line. I think he may have deliberately gone someplace else."   
Harry gestured impatiently towards the flames that were flickering against the dark background of the sky. "Yeah? Well where exactly _would_ he go, Professor? Directly into the fire?"   
"If he had a good reason to do so."   
That gave Harry pause. Could he be right? "And what reason might that be?"   
Snape shrugged. "Sophie reminded me that the children left the video camera in the woods. All the evidence...all the products of this operation. Is it possible that he may have gone back for it?"   
Eyes wide, Harry answered slowly, "Yes...that's exactly the sort of thing he might do. But he should have returned by now, unless something went wrong. And he's not here yet..." He looked his old teacher right in the face. "I don't care if he's gone straight back into the fire. I'm going after him."   
"And I suppose you want me to go with you?" Snape was clearly agitated, and ran his hand through his hair nervously. For some reason, the gesture fascinated Harry. It gave him a flashback from his Hogwarts days... _Same hair_, he thought irrelevantly. _A little gray, now. But still greasy._   
"Well? Am I right, Potter? You want me to go with you?" Harry was dragged abruptly back to the present by Snape's impatient voice. _Do I detect a trace of reluctance there? Like he doesn't want to head straight into a blazing inferno?_   
Aloud, he answered, "I want my son. If there's another way, by all means say so. Otherwise, yes, I'll ask you to come with me and show me where he went." With great difficulty, he finally admitted, "I don't think I'll be able to find him alone."

Snape stared for a second or two into the flames, then looked at Harry. _If we leave the child, he can't make it out alive. That's certain,_ his mind whispered to him coldly. Against his will he continued to churn out calculating, logical thoughts... _And it's doubtful whether Potter can manage alone. So, it is either going to be Julien Potter's life, or my running a great deal of danger._ He smiled bitterly. _I'm just as bad as these idealistic crusaders I always complain about._ "If you insist, I will go with you. A word of warning, though: the physical scuffs, the actual nick-of-time rescues...these are not my fortes..."   
"They're mine, don't worry," Harry said steadily. "I may not be a genius, but I'm good in action. I've managed to survive every crazy situation so far... Which way? Come on, we'll have to run."   
He pointed out the direction and Harry took off immediately. Snape followed, trying to close his mind to the fact that he was racing full speed directly into an out-of-control forest fire.  
*******************************************

Meanwhile, Julien Potter was choking on smoke. It was in his eyes, his nose, his mouth...his ears even. All of his senses were clouded and nullified by the thick, black, hot air that just wouldn't leave him alone. He tried standing still. He tried moving. He tried covering his face, then dropping to the ground in hopes of crawling beneath the suffocating blanket.   
Nothing was working. For the first time all night, Julien began to seriously consider the possibility that he might die.   
_But that's ridiculous! I can't die!_ he thought, grasping at straws. _I won't!_   
Suddenly he thought of his wand. Why not try magic as a last resort? It certainly couldn't make his present situation any worse... He drew his wand and tried to think of a spell that might be useful. Unfortunately, a gust of hot ashes blew at him suddenly, making him cough violently, and he dropped the wand on the ground.   
All at once he realized that the smoke wasn't the only thing he should be careful of. He'd been heading towards the place where the camera was hidden, so that he could rescue the evidence, but now he noticed that he was apparently heading towards the worst of the fire, as well. There were now actual flames near him, spreading rapidly across the forest floor.   
A burning branch above his head creaked dangerously, and he decided that he'd just have to leave his wand. It was too risky to stop and rifle through the leaves to find it. Julien kept going, as fast as he could without falling down. More trees were on fire.   
It was getting hotter and hotter. He had to keep wiping sweat out of his eyes with the sleeve of his robe, and the thought struck him, _My robe's all sweaty. I wonder if I'll boil inside it, if I stay here long enough..._ He'd read something once about people boiling in a fire, having tried to use water to cool themselves down.   
Finally, he reached the place where he and Sophie had hidden the video camera. "I think I'm starting to be delirious," he said aloud. He dug the video camera out of the leaves, coughing the whole time. The air was scorching, and his eyes were watering profusely from the smoke and the painful stabs of light every time he happened to glance at the rising flames.   
Standing up with the camera in his arms (still attached to its tripod - he didn't even think of taking it off), he nearly fell over from dizziness. Once he got himself together again, he started to run off in the direction he supposed was right, dodging a shower of flaming pine needles from the trees above.   
His brain continued to supply him with random facts. _This place looks familiar. I know why. It's the place where I dragged that guy who attacked Sophie..._   
"Oh, no!" he yelled out loud. "The guy!" There was an unconscious person around here, lying helpless someplace as the fire closed in...   
"He'll die. I can't leave him. Where did I put the body? I'll find it and drag it out of here." Talking to himself seemed to make things more bearable. Julien forced himself to remember exactly where he'd put the man down.   
"Should be around here somewhere...somewhere...hmm...." he coughed throughout. "Oh! Here he is," he sighed with relief. But the Death Eater was still out cold. Julien tried to revive him...but no luck. He would have to drag him out through the burning forest.   
The fire was gaining ground. Places that had been merely full of smoke before, now began to burst without warning into flame. Everything was getting hotter and hazier and more awful. After a few steps, Julien let go of the unconscious wizard and dropped the camera. "I'm not going to make it," he said aloud. He could barely hear himself over the roar of the flame and the crack of falling trees.   
"The whole forest is crashing down around me," he mumbled, "and I can't possibly make it out if I drag this big lug after me."   
He looked at the man, whose face was still covered by a Death Eater mask. _So leave him. He's a killer,_ Julien's mind whispered to him, _and everybody's better off without him. Leave him. There's no point risking your life for scum._   
Of course the decision wouldn't be that easy, though. _He could be a perfectly good man under that mask,_ another part of his mind argued stubbornly, _and you'll never know until it's too late and you've killed him. You know he'd haunt you forever if you let him die...so just give in and drag him with you._ But how? He sighed aloud and looked at the scene in front of him. The limp form of the Dark Circle member, the glint of firelight off the camera...   
The camera. If he left the camera, he could carry the guy out with him. Couldn't he? It wouldn't be easy, certainly, but without the cumbersome appliance, it wouldn't be impossible to make it out alive, even pulling this dead weight behind him.   
But he _couldn't_ leave the camera! All the evidence. They'd risked everything, he and Sophie and his mother and his father and Professor Snape... And all the people the Dark Circle wanted to murder - without the evidence on the video camera, there was no way the Ministry could arrest everybody and save the targeted people. His mind made up, Julien picked up the camera and started to go.   
Then he stopped. "I can't leave that man to burn here! That's disgusting!" he cried angrily. "What else am I supposed to do? I'll have to take him." He dropped the camera and grabbed the man, then turned again to leave.   
But now he remembered again: he _couldn't_ leave the camera. _Maybe I can hurry with the guy, then come back for the camera before the fire gets it_, he thought hopefully, then realized that that was probably impossible. He'd be lucky to make it out once, much less come back in and do it a second time. In that case, then, he ought to take the camera and run. But what about the guy? But then what about the camera?...But then...but...   
"If I stay here and do nothing, in a minute it'll be too late to make it out with either one," he growled to himself. "Make a decision!".   
He stared from the camera to the Death Eater, caught between a rock and a hard place, as the fire closed in quicker and quicker....  
**************************************************  
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A/N:   
OK, I'll take this opportunity to go on a little rant about Harry. Several readers have been saying that Harry's a little pathetic in my story, and I'll admit that he is, but I want to explain what makes me portray him that way. Throughout JKR's books so far, he's been saved by luck, his parents, his friends, Fawkes, Dumbledore, and a variety of other things...pretty much everything except himself. Now, I know that Harry has good traits which make this saving possible - his loyalty and bravery and friendship, for example. He does better than most kids could. However, he's still not perfect. He _does_ seem often to be immobile, indecisive, or just plain stupid when disaster strikes. (Think Basilisk - did he ever once think of speaking to the thing in Parseltongue and telling it to back off? Think Sirius Black - Harry wanted to kill him but froze up at the critical moment. Think Cedric Diggory dying - Harry was too panicked about his scar hurting to try to help. Etc.)   
I think he does have strong points, but I don't think he is usually the one who solves _everything_. He does his best and comes through when it counts, but I still think it would be flattering him too much to let him do all of the hero-work.   
So that's the end of my rant about Harry. Do you think I'm being too harsh on him? Gimme feedback...there's still time for him to do something useful! (Don't worry, he'll do something anyway.)

Thanks for reading.  



	15. And out Again

Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, but so far they've voiced no objection to being utilized for the purpose of entertaining all the lovely fans out there.

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Harry was running at top speed through prickly bushes and thick smoke. He couldn't breathe and could feel blood trickling down where he'd hit thorns and nettles. If he'd stopped to think about it, he probably couldn't recall any time in his life when he'd been more uncomfortable. But he didn't stop to think - all that mattered was Julien.   
The heat was getting worse and worse. Flaming branches were dropping around left and right, and Harry had to keep blasting them out of his way with his wand. Snape was someplace behind him, occasionally shouting things like, "Bear left here!" or "Watch! Over your head!" He'd cast some kind of wind charm to blow some of the smoke away, so that it would be easier to see where they were going. Still, they were having no luck.   
No sign of Julien...not that they would have been able to see him, anyway, through the heavy black smog. Not that they would have been able to hear him, either, over the crash of trees and crackle of flames.   
All of a sudden Snape rushed forward and grabbed Harry's arm. "There is no point in going further," he shouted above the noise.   
"What do you mean? I'm not leaving til we find Julien!" Harry answered determinednly.   
Snape spun him around so that they were facing one another. He looked hard into Harry's eyes and said firmly, "Potter, if your son is any further in, any closer to the heart of the fire than this, he is dead already. You can feel the heat...you can see the forest falling down... we're two capable adult wizards and we are having serious trouble. What chance that a child could survive it alone? None."   
Tearing himself from Snape's grasp, Harry backed up a few feet. "And what chance that a child could survive the curse of the Dark Lord?" he shot back, willing his voice not to tremble. "None, either, but it happened. I'm not giving up. Come on." He started to leave, blinking tears from his eyes.   
Snape's eyes were tearing too - smarting from the heat. "_No_, Potter!" he shrieked, yanking Harry backwards. At that moment, a large flaming log dropped from the sky, to land exactly where he'd been standing a second ago. "You see?" Snape asked, coughing up ash.   
"But I can't leave him!" Harry shouted, then forced himself to calm down. "Are you telling me that you think it's impossible for him to be alive if he's further in than this?"   
"I don't _think_, Potter. I _know_," Snape said bluntly.   
"Well, I don't. And since you're obviously unwilling to come with me, I'll go it alone. Which way?" Shaking his head, Snape pointed silently, and Harry marched off.

Within minutes, Harry began almost regretting his decision. He was running blind, hitting things that were both solid and flaming - he suspected that he'd broken his nose, and his hair had definately caught on fire twice already. He whipped out his wand, half-afraid that it would catch on fire too, to help him out.   
A bubble-head charm did the trick nicely. Now, his eyes stopped smarting so that he could see. The air inside the charm was a comfortable temperature, so that his lungs were no longer filled with unhealthy, scorching smoke. He raced through the burning trees, and soon found something useful.   
Sparks. Red, purple, and green sparks were shooting from someplace nearby. He knew instantly that it had to be Julien, and he rushed forward to help.   
To Harry's horror, he saw that the sparks were issuing from _underneath_ a giant tree which had fallen down in flames. Was Julien stuck under there? He couldn't survive long pinned beneath a burning tree trunk, that was sure...   
Harry pointed his wand at the tree, shaking only slightly, and called "_Windgardium Leviosa_!" Nothing happened. The tree was just too heavy to move.   
_Well, I can at least put the fire out_, he told himself, and fired a spray of water at it, which did no good at all - it was so hot that the water all turned to steam before it even got close to the flames. Harry froze for a few seconds, fighting down a wave of panic. _There has to be something I can do… OK, OK, no problem. The only problem is that the thing is too big to deal with…_   
"_Reducto_!" he shrieked. The tree shattered, sending smoldering chunks of wood everywhere. Waist-high obstacles, most of them flaming, littered the area where he wanted to go. He waited and watched for a moment, but Julien didn't crawl out from under them…was he still trapped? The sparks were getting fewer and weaker each second, so Harry finally decided to just go in.   
He ran headlong into the smoke and fire, spraying jets of water at the flames that got too close to him. He waded through burning bushes and fallen branches, fighting his way to the place where little bursts of magic kept occasionally sputtering out. Finally he was there. He shoved a piece of wood bodily out of the way to get at what was underneath...   
And it was a wand. Only a wand. Julien's wand, certainly, but without Julien.   
Harry picked it up, shocked, as it still spewed stray magic all over the place. He looked around, trying to understand what this meant. Was Julien still alive? Now what? After standing still for a moment or two thinking, Harry heard a sound over his head, and looked up to see a burning pine branch dropping from the sky straight right at him.   
He threw up his arm to protect his face, but the needles still punctured his bubble-head charm. All of a sudden he couldn't see. He tried to disentangle himself from the branch, had to grab it with his hand to throw it off him. This, of course, was extremely painful - he could feel the flames licking at his left hand, and felt a searing heat that seemed to penetrate all the way down to his bones. Even when he managed to toss the burning branch away, the pain persisted. It was a bad burn, he knew.   
Since he couldn't see through the smoke any more, Harry's awareness of his other senses was heightened. He sensed the roar of the fire around him, his own yell of pain, and the smell of the smoke more than he ever had before. Then there was a new smell. Not just smoke, but a sick, nauseating stench that Harry recognized as flesh burning. He reached over to touch his injured hand and felt that it was raw and oozing.   
He shuddered in disgust, wondering exactly how badly he was hurt and whether he would be able to stop himself from vomiting as a result of the overpowering smell of burnt human. Gross, he thought.   
Then Harry laughed aloud. That awful smell was unmistakable - he would certainly have noticed if it had been present before. And it hadn't, so that meant that Julien wasn't here, wasn't creamated under the pines. Yet.   
He felt weak from relief, but forced himself to move. He ran back the way he came, still clutching his son's wand in his hand and trying to figure out what it meant.   
So Julien had been here before...but he'd left again. He'd been on his way back for the camera, maybe, and had changed his mind and gone elsewhere, then? But where? Even allowing time for finding the camera, Julien should have made it out of the woods by now, and he hadn't. Therefore, he _hadn't_ sought safety - he had gone someplace else entirely. _If it were me, and I were about to risk my life for the camera, it would have to be something really important to make me change my mind_, he thought. _Not just a little fire in the way. What would Julien consider more valuable than both his life and the evidence?_ He didn't come up with anything, except the obvious - saving someone else.   
Instantly Harry knew he'd struck gold. Yes, Gabrielle and Sophie were safe, but there _was_ a person whose life needed saving! The kids had mentioned that they'd found a Death Eater in the woods and knocked him out... he'd still be there. _I wouldn't leave him there, and neither would Julien_, Harry realized.   
Unfortunately, he hadn't the slightest idea where the Death Eater was. Snape might know, though, so he stopped running and Apparated immediately to where they'd parted ways. 

"Did you find him, Potter?" Snape asked quickly, the minute Harry burst into sight.   
"No, but I found his wand and I think I know where he went!" Harry answered excitedly. "I just remembered, Julien told me before that they fought with a Death Eater in the woods, and left him unconscious somewhere. And I think that Julien would have gone back to try to save him." He added quietly, with a bit of sarcasm, "You know, he has that thing they call _conscience_, which prevents _some_ people from letting others die when they can help it."   
Snape stiffened but otherwise ignored the last comment. "That's ridiculous, Potter. Making it out of the woods alone is difficult enough, but dragging another person? It's suicide."   
"It's what I would do," Harry retorted firmly. Snape just stared.   
"Well, it doesn't look quite so dangerous in that direction," he conceded finally, "so it's possible that he's still alive over there. I am not opposed to risking my life - only to throwing it away - so if you really think that's where he went, we shall go after him. I saw the Death Eater earlier myself, and I'm not sure of the exact location, but I can show you the general-"   
"Let's go!" Harry interrupted, already in the process of running off. 

The body of the Dark Circle member was gone from the place Snape had last seen it. He was jubilant. "The boy's not here, either! That means he's probably well on the way out of the woods with the body."   
Disappointment at not finding Julien was making Harry pessimistic, and he answered morosely, "No. The man could have woken up on his own and left."   
"Not after I hexed him to make sure he wouldn't regain consciousness and become yet another monkey wrench," countered Snape. "Let us hope that Julien is long gone from this place," he continued through his coughs, "because everything is catching fire here at a very rapid pace...even your robes, Potter."   
Harry looked down at his robes and sure enough, the hems were aflame again. With a noisy exclamation, he magicked out the fire, then turned to Snape. "I'm sick of being on fire! How come you're not burning too?"   
With his usual smirk, Snape answered, "I always wear flame-retardant robes. A necessity when one is cooped up all day in a dungeon filled with explosive materials and inept students."   
They set off again, more hopeful this time, following a trail that looked like something very large and heavy had been dragged through the leaves. All of a sudden, Harry spotted something through the smoke. It was a large figure, all in black, sprawled on the ground. "Look! There he is!"   
He turned back and beckoned for the professor to hurry up. Snape stumbled over something and almost fell. "Well. So we have a happy ending after all," he said wryly.   
Harry was looking all around. "No, we don't," he said, "because Julien's not here."

They were now surrounded by solid walls of fire on three sides. The only trail that looked remotely safe was the one that led out of the woods - the exact place Julien _hadn't_ gone. Snape stood, silent and impassive, crossing his arms over his chest as Harry began to understand.   
"He's not here," murmured Harry softly, "and he hasn't made it to safety. That means.... that means..." he could not bring himself to finish the sentence. He stared into the fire, watched the flames leaping up at the black sky, and clenched his fists. "He must have gone back in for the evidence after all. No!" he said aloud, firmly, apparently trying to banish the thought from his mind. Then: "No..._NO_...NOOOOOOO!" he roared, face upturned and demonic-looking in the firelight.   
Snape held himself absolutely still, watching his former student explode with frustrated anger, then melt into grief. _Typical sequence of events. He'll scream, then cry, then feel numb to everything and suggest that we get out of here because the smoke makes his eyes hurt_, he thought calmly.   
Harry was sobbing now, head in his hands. He clenched his fists and then, as though he didn't realize he had handfuls of hair, jerked so hard he ripped it out. Finally he pulled himself together a little and raised his head, eyes still squeezed closed. "So this is it, Professor? He's gone? That can't be it..."   
Snape watched a drop of blood trickle down Harry's cheek, coloring his tears... then sighed, feeling a little let down. He would certainly have expected to experienced a lot of pleasure watching Harry Potter suffer....but the young man's grief was much less enjoyable than Snape had anticipated. _I'd better stop his crying so we can get out of here_, he thought. _It's getting a little too fiery for comfort._   
He finally broke the silence, just whispering, "Potter...?"   
When Harry opened his eyes and saw that his weeping had brought a strange smile to Snape's lips, he was, for the moment, too bewildered to be enraged. "You...you're...you're _laughing_ at me?" he demanded in a breathless whisper. He wanted to curse him, but he felt too drained to do anything of the sort.   
"Oh, very _well_, Potter, have it your way," Snape spat in his usual ill-humor, annoyed at having been cheated out of his perverse amusement. "I _am_ laughing at you, though not for quite the reason you're imagining." He paused. "Will you stop that crying! There's no need to start grieving yet."   
Harry stared at him, not wanting to misunderstand. "What do you mean?"   
"I mean," explained Snape, "that you, with your habit of jumping to conclusions, assumed that your son was dead simply because you did not _see_ him here. Now, I'll remind you that he's wearing an Invisibility Cloak, so whether or not you _see_ him is, at the moment, a moot point." He watched as comprehension dawned on Harry's face. "I happened to trip over something a moment ago - something that felt very much to me like an unconscious child lying under an Invisibility Cloak... shall I show you?" he asked innocently, unable to suppress a smirk.   
In an instant, Harry's hands were around his throat. "I'll kill you! You mean he's all right? He's alive?" He let go. "Show me! Now!"   
Snape strode the few paces to where he'd fallen before. He reached down, felt around a bit, and yanked off the Invisibility Cloak with a flourish. "There we go," he said calmly. "He seems to have inhaled a bit of smoke, but I think-" he stopped when Harry shoved him aside, rushing forward to embrace his son.

Julien's eyes finally opened. He stared at the sky and then at the grass around him, which was surprisingly not burning at all. "Where am I?" he asked thickly.   
"He's come round!" somebody exclaimed close by. It was his father. Soon, both he and his mother were hugging him and talking at the same time in teary voices.   
He tried to disentangle himself and sit up. "What happened to your hand, Dad? And how'd I get out of the woods? What about the Dark Circle guy - did he get out, too?"   
Harry pushed him back down. "Don't try to get up yet. Yes, we got him out too - Snape and I found you both before the fire got to you. You carried him far enough to save his life, Julien.... I'm so proud of you."   
Julien sighed. "Dad, I left your new video camera - I'm sorry. I couldn't carry everything, so I had to leave it behind."   
Simultaneously, Harry and Gabrielle insisted that they didn't care. "It doesn't matter, not in the slightest bit. The only thing that matters is that you're safe," they both said.   
Snape looked extremely irritated, and Julien grinned. "Oh, come on, guys - you don't have to be so noble and all. I'm not the _only_ thing that matters." He squirmed out of his parents' embrace and managed to sit up straight, then reached into his pocket. "This matters a _little_, don't you think?"   
To the utter astonishment of everybody present, he pulled a small rectangular object from his robes. A video tape.

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So that's the end of the story...sort of. I had two possible epilogues in mind, and I couldn't decide between them, so I'm including them both. Tell me which is better.  
Thanks for reading.

My ego and my muse live on a diet composed almost entirely of feedback from readers. Please don't let them starve! Review for me. Feed me.  



	16. Epilogue Option 1

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own any of these characters. Sigh. Some things never change.

This ending isn't how I originally intended to end the story, but somebody emailed me with a review that contained a very unusual suggestion, and it developed into this. I have the ending done two possible ways, though. This chapter and the next one are both possible endings. Read them and tell me which is better, willy? I would _hate_ to end my story, that I've slaved and slobbered over for so many hours, on a cruddy note.  
Without further ado...

Epilogue:  
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The alarm clock went off, and Harry and Gabrielle both leaped out of bed. As they'd planned last night, he ran for the door and she for the kitchen. She whipped out her wand while putting on her slippers, and had the coffee magically cooking before she'd even yawned the sleep out of her eyes.   
Once at the front of the house, Harry glued his eye to the window. After a moment he sighted an owl flying straight for the house, a package in its claws. "It's coming!"   
"Coffee's almost ready!" Gabrielle called back. She was pouring it into cups as she heard the door open, the owl hoot, and Harry unwrap the newspaper. "All right, it's done." Giggling, they piled onto the couch and cuddled together, then prepared to unfold the paper.   
"I'm nervous," Harry confessed. "I've gone through trouble to stay out of the papers for years...I wonder what people will say about me."   
Gabrielle smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "What can they say, cheri, except that you were wonderful? Let's read - I've been looking forward to it for days."   
"Me, too. It's ridiculous how they waited so long to let the press cover it all. I mean, they arrested everyone two days ago!"   
"Yes, I know. Yesterday's pathetic bit about _"The Dark Circle has been broken and its members apprehended and we'll give more information at a later time"_ was absolutely awful! Here we go..." she unfolded the paper and gazed at the wizard photograph on the front page...   
"WHAT!?!?!" they both screamed.   
In the top corner was a picture of Harry, looking clueless and confused. Then came the words: "SHOCKING SCANDAL DISCOVERED...HARRY POTTER'S WIFE UNFAITHFUL". A smaller caption clarified: "HER OWN CHILDREN REVEAL THE SECRET OF THEIR PARENTAGE!" Underneath the headline, the rest of the page was occupied by a split of two photos. One of Gabrielle...   
And one of Snape.

For a moment, they both just gaped. Harry eventually broke the silence. "I don't know whether to be outraged or amused."   
"I think I'm going to vomit," Gabrielle said matter-of-factly. "Who came up with that? That is sick!"   
A picture of Sophie was splayed all over one of the inside pages and Gabrielle squealed with rage. "Nobody lies about my baby and gets away with it! Harry, you read it and explain - you read faster than me and I'm too angry to even look."   
Harry skimmed the article twice before he finally understood. "Well, it seems that they covered the whole Dark Circle story today...or tried to. They've got several parts of it wrong," he started. "First of all, when Snape took the tape in to the Ministry the next morning, he apparently explained that you and the children were his only co-conspirators. He let them think that the Black Center was dead in the fire, but had been a real villain, the real bad guy. No doubt he wanted to make sure I didn't get any credit for it...so now I can't ever talk about how much work I did, because if I'm ever identified as the Black Center they'll arrest me." He sighed and looked up. "What a typical slimy Snapeish maneuver - I should have seen it coming. But that's not all...   
"Sophie, apparently, didn't know about his little game. They were doing an interview at the school, the press was talking to Snape and the kids all at the same time. Well, the reporter made some stupid comment about how brave the kids were, and Sophie spoke up, 'Well, we did all right, but the one who really did all the work is Dad.'   
"It says here that Snape bent to whisper something to her, and she paled because...uh... 'her family's terrible secret had been revealed'... isn't that sick, Gabby? Since my name hadn't come up, they must have understood the word 'Dad' to mean the old slimeball! So of course they asked, 'Your father?' And Sophie corrected herself, told the reporter 'uh, no, I meant Professor Snape and my mother, I said the wrong thing,' but the damage was done."   
Harry looked up and shook his head at Gabrielle. "I wonder if this will ever die down..."   
Gabrielle looked at the article a little herself. "Now we all see," she quoted, "where young Sophie Potter _really_ got her fabulous black hair." She rolled her eyes and was about to comment, but Harry cut her off.   
"And the worst part - _the very worst part_ - is that Snape's been hiding from reporters and just saying 'no comment' - he's not even helping correct the rumours."   
"But if he does that they'll think it's all true!" Gabrielle exclaimed. "What an ass! Doesn't he realize he's making things worse?"   
"He must," Harry said thoughtfully. His wife had a point - there was no logical reason Snape would behave in such a way... unless... The owls beating against his house finally gave him the clue he needed. "Oh, no!" he groaned. "That's it. He knows _exactly_ what he's doing. He's letting people think it's true on purpose, so that the scandal will stick no matter what we say. He wants to ruin me."   
They sat in silence for a few minutes, absorbing the situation. Finally Gabrielle started to her feet. "Well, it won't work. Not on my watch. Harry, all we've got to do is convince him he's got more to lose than we do unless he clears things up. We'll threaten him in some way. But how?"   
"How?" Harry laughed. "Come on, dearie, you're talking to the Black Center here! If anybody knows how to scare people, it's me." He thought for a moment, grinning as a scheme began to come into focus. "If he wants to play dirty, so be it. Remember, Ron's up on the Hogwarts Board of Governors now...I'll give him a call see if I can't get him to do me a little favor..."   
Gabrielle smiled at the look of cunning that was creeping into her husband's eyes. "The master of intrigue, are you? Well, good luck. Is there anything you want me to do?"   
Harry was already reaching for the phone. "Yeah. Send an owl to Snape in my handwriting, will you, and name him a Muggle restaurant to meet me in this afternoon at two o'clock or so." He tried to be confident and fight the thrill of excitement that ran down his spine. "This _will_ work, Gabby. It's my turn to do a little bullying. Just you wait and see."  
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That afternoon...

Harry stood in the doorway of the restaurant, scanning the tables quickly with no luck. He checked his watch. 2:10 - he was late already. So where was Snape? After standing stupidly for a pretty long time, Harry was rescued by a peremptory, "Potter - over here," which came from a man sitting alone at a table against the wall.   
Oh - there he was. Harry went and sat down, then began immediately with, "You've certainly got a lot of nerve." Snape only smiled nastily, which infuriated Harry even more. "You told the 'whole story' and didn't even _mention my name_! You're such a liar - I did everything - and now nobody even knows!"   
Snape unsurprisingly broke into a nasty smirk. "Poor, poor Potter," he said with mock sympathy. "Perhaps you'd like me to talk some more to the press? Didn't I do enough damage last time?"   
"Speaking of last time..." Harry began. Drawing on his experience as the Black Center, he waited a moment until he felt his face go completely cold and expressionless. "_How could you let everyone think you went to bed with my wife_?" he asked with calm, quiet precision, keeping his temper reined in completely.   
His controlled anger made Snape ceased smirking. "You have only your daughter to blame for that. I told her simply that she should not have mentioned your name - the stupid word choice, whatever it was, was all her own. I had no idea she was spawning such a disgusting rumour." He shook his head and made a face. "I mean, I can hardly believe people think I would...eeugh...with _Gabrielle_, of all people....no offense, though," he added, eyes glittering maliciously.   
Of course he had meant offense. _It's bad enough sitting here and listening to him make fun of me...but now, he insults my WIFE? Nobody gets away with that!_ Harry thought furiously.   
Momentarily losing his cool, Harry jerked his wand out from the sleeve of his Muggle sweater, under the table, to send some kind of nasty hex. Unfortunately, Snape was too quick for him. Before Harry could get any words out, Snape whispered a soft, "Expelliarmus," and a little burst of light exploded from his lap. Harry's wand was ripped from his grasp and he was flung backwards in his chair, almost falling onto the floor. "Damn you," he muttered under his breath.   
Snape rolled his eyes boredly. "That was pathetic," he scoffed.   
Harry, ignoring him, got back to his original plan. Acting as if he hadn't figured out what Snape was trying to do, he said casually, "Right. Well, anyway, it's time for you to start denying it all. If you keep hiding from the reporters, it'll just make people believe -" He stopped when he saw the smirk on Snape's face. "...You _are_ going to deny it, aren't you?" No answer. "I knew it! I _knew_ you were doing this on purpose!" he seethed, in a very good imitation of surprise and anger. "But don't you care that they're dragging _your_ name through the mud, too?"   
Snape smiled serenely now. "No, I don't. I am already unpopular, and nothing I can do will make people dislike me more than they do already. I think it is worth this slide into infamy if I can take you down with me." His face twisted into a nasty grin. "Have you heard what they're saying about you? It almost seems as though people think it's _your_ fault! According to Witch Weekly-"   
"I'm 'too blind to see the debauchery going on in my own home'," Harry rattled off. "I know, I know - I read it all." _Now it's time_, Harry thought, and took a deep breath. "Oh yeah? So you're willing to go down, too, just to drag me under?" he asked. "Even if you might be losing out on something really, really big? Exactly how much are you willing to throw away to get me?"   
He'd caught Snape off guard that time. "Losing out?" he asked.   
Mentally thanking Ron's connections, Harry said in an over-casual tone, "I happened to discover the transcript of the Board meeting this morning..."   
"You mean the board of governors of Hogwarts?"   
"Yup. They convened specially in order to discuss...oh, how did they put it... the disgusting and inappropriate conduct of one of the staff members."   
Snape shrugged and said coolly, "I was not aware that the Board was displeased with any of my conduct." His eyes narrowed. "I think you're bluffing."   
"Am I? Read the transcript," Harry ordered bluntly, taking the folded-up papers from his pocket. Snape scowled and started to skim the document rapidly, but when he reached the last page he stopped, horrified. He reread that section, suddenly pale as a ghost. Harry hummed happily at the abrupt mood change and asked, "Quite a pity, don't you think?"   
Snape read a few sentences out loud, sounding dazed. "Because the allegations are not proven, no disciplinary measures will be taken. However, in light of the stain on Professor Snape's reputation that is likely to result, we are forced to...to..." he couldn't finish the sentence.   
Harry, who had read it enough times to memorize it, recited it cheerfully for him. "...We are forced to reconsider our decision to appoint Snape Headmaster at the close of this year, when our current Headmaster will retire. Next meeting we will agree on a replacement."   
Harry met Snape's glazed-over eyes, and beamed at him. "Sad, isn't it? I had no idea they were considering you for Headmaster..."   
"They were considering me for Headmaster..." he echoed dimly, apparently bewildered.   
"Yes, and now they're not," Harry said rudely. "Not as long as people think you slept with my wife." _Let's twist the knife in a little deeper, shall we_, he thought. "Imagine how grateful all the students will be."   
Snape caved quickly after that.

"Since everybody knows you've been deliberately hiding from the press for nearly a decade," Snape began carefully, "I shall explain that you were my co-conspirator, but asked to remain unmentioned so that you could continue living in peace and quiet. We'll say that since your decision has led to even worse things now, you'll have to come out and admit that you helped with some part of the mission - recording the video, for example."   
"That could work," Harry said amiably. Then, his voice grew hard. "But you know what? No way! At first, I didn't really care if people knew I was the Black Center, but now, since you tried to cheat, I'm changing my mind. _This_ is what you're going to tell the reporters, so listen up:"   
Harry proceeded to invent yet another version of the story in which he himself (in his Black Center disguise) had done nearly everything, from making the whole plan to deliberately set the fire in order to provide a "death" for the Black Center. "And the reason your original interviews were wrong," he finished, "is that, as you said, I wanted to avoid publicity. From now on, your role is reduced to having brought the children from school to the woods to help, and then getting captured on purpose so that you'd be present in case I needed backup - which I didn't. That's what you'll tell the press. Clear?"   
White with anger, Snape retorted firmly, "I'll say no such thing. And if it comes down to my word against yours - I'm a better liar than you - I can make people believe worse stories than adultery! Don't test me, Potter. I could say you really _were_ the Black Center, and since you apparently didn't die in the fire as I thought, it's time to arrest you now and send you right off to Azkaban!"   
Feigning a yawn at the outburst, Harry smiled and said, "You could say that...but you won't. Because if you do, I'll tell Gabrielle to confess to...erm...being indiscreet, and the Hogwarts Board won't like that! She's dying for a way to do something mean to you, Snape, and this would be perfect. You'll go along with what I say, or you'll be teaching Potions to idiots in a nasty freezing dungeon forever!" _Power, power, power_, he thought. It was intoxicating. "You have no choice."   
Their eyes locked angrily and they stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity. At last, to Harry's surprise, it was Snape who broke the stare. "The truth," he finally whispered, looking away. "I will tell them the truth." He glared at Harry. "But nothing more!"   
Realizing how close he'd been to losing the silent argument, Harry nodded soberly. "Fine. The truth." He sighed. "Well, I'm glad this whole Dark Circle situation is over," he said. "You wouldn't believe what kind of hell I've been living recently."   
"As I've told you time and again, Potter, I'd believe it absolutely because I lived it for quite a while myself," Snape said shortly. "And I sincerely hope that it is now over. I hereby permanently retire from the double agent business, and I forbid you - _forbid_ you, you idiot - to ever, ever drag me into it again. Do you understand? I'm through playing mentor for you. If you ever start up another insane plot like this one, you'd better not come to me and expect help."   
"Don't worry - I won't. I didn't even expect help _this_ time," Harry said with a little laugh. "When I first showed up, half of me expected you to turn out to be one of them and kill me on the spot, and the other half expected you to throw me out on my ass and laugh at me."   
"If you expected that, you shouldn't have even come."   
Spreading his hands helplessly, Harry explained, "I was desperate. It was tough, because like I said, I knew you'd be able to help, but then again I was kind of afraid...even though I remembered how much Dumbledore used to lecture me when I was a kid, telling me that I _had_ to stop distrusting you, blah blah blah, and you really _are_ on our side, appearances notwithstanding. I guess he was right."   
"And it has only taken you - how many years? - to come to that conclusion," Snape sneered.   
"Well, I'm a slow learner," Harry conceded apologetically. "But anyway, it doesn't matter. We'll never have to see each other again after today."   
Snape agreed with an enthusiastic smile. "With any luck, we shall be able to successfully avoid one another for the rest of our lives."   
Harry laughed. "Well, I can't say it's been a pleasure, but..." he held out his hand.   
They shook, each with the exact same thought in his head. _So that's done with him. Forever._ And each was fervently wishing that it would be true...

THE END

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The end... or is it? Read the next chapter and see which is better. Since these are the very last parts of this long long long giant story that I spent so many trillions of hours on, and quite possibly gave you some amusement... could you all please write a quick review telling me how it was? Pretty please with cockroach cluster on top?  
So this is it...  
For the last time (except the alternate ending)...  
Thanks for reading.  



	17. Epilogue Option 2

I've never been satisfied with the original epilogue, so this is an alternate ending that could replace the last chapter.  
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It was ten o'clock at night. There should be _nobody_ knocking outside his office at this hour…   
"What?" Snape growled, without opening his door. "It's after curfew. I'll give you _one_ chance to escape before I see who it is…"   
"It's me, Professor. Prefects don't _have_ curfews, remember?"   
Muttering under his breath, trying with all his might to appear annoyed, Snape went and jerked the door open. "Miss Potter, do you realize what time it is? Very well, come in, sit down."   
Sophie brushed by him, flipping her sixteen years' worth of hair behind her shoulders and making for the armchair closest to the fireplace. As usual, she got right to the point. "Professor, I'm nervous."   
He settled into a chair next to her. "Nervous?"   
"Don't tell me you didn't know tomorrow is _the day_."   
Snape shrugged. "Of course I knew. I'm surprised you remembered. Is that what you're nervous about?"   
"Oh, excellent insight, sir - five points to Slytherin." Her lip curled in a sneer almost as effective as his own. "Professor, Lucius Malfoy has been in jail - in _Azkaban_ - for _five years_ now. And starting tomorrow he'll be out. And once he kisses enough backsides in the Ministry, I'm sure the rest of the Dark Circle will get out, too. To put it mildly, I would guess that he's still _really angry_ at me. He may be an old geezer, but he's a _powerful_ old geezer. Of course I'm nervous."   
"Excuse me. Geezer? Miss Potter, I'm almost as old as Lucius myself."   
Snape certainly knew how to push her buttons. The nonchalance in his tone made her almost frantic. "Quit it! Don't tell me _you_ aren't nervous, too, sir. I…he…"   
Realizing that he couldn't allay her fears by delicately suggesting to ignore them, Snape had to resort to more direct means. "Lucius and his friends have been after my blood since before you were born, Sophie," he said softly. "I've started to think their power is overestimated. You're certainly safe here at Hogwarts." When she didn't answer, he pressed, "What are you worried about? That they'll storm the castle? Or that they'll go after your parents? Because I'm sure the ancient magic of Hogwarts isn't powerful enough to fend off a few disgruntled old convicts. And I'm equally sure the Famous Harry Potter hasn't set up an obscene amount of powerful wards all around his home for protection…"   
His sarcasm made her grin ruefully. Maybe he was right. "I guess so. I'm just…I don't know, I'm afraid for me and Julien. I mean, I know the castle is safe and all, but still. I just don't like the idea of a bunch of evil nutters free and hoping to kill me."   
Snape arched an eyebrow. "I assure you, you'll get used to it," he said stiffly. "It only took _me_ about three years." Seeing that she was taking him seriously, he sighed and conjured them both hot chocolate. "Calm down, Miss Potter. I'm not happy about it either, but I assure you, nothing will come of this. Half the Circle has gone insane in captivity, and _none_ of the survivors will risk another stint in Azkaban lightly."   
She sipped her hot chocolate. "I guess."   
Sensing that she was still not comforted, he tried one more thing. "Just be on your guard, and if you do see anything suspicious, you know I'll always be here, resident dungeon-troll and all-purpose-Potter-Saver. You...and your brother, I suppose...are welcome to come to me if you feel anything is the matter."   
"I thought you told Dad you were through with rescuing Potters," she said, mood lightening a little bit. Snape was stirring marshmallows into his hot chocolate, and as he reached out to put his cup back on the table, she was suddenly struck by how graceful his movements were. "You know, Professor," she said absently, "I think if I were sixty years older I'd make a pass at you."   
They both froze, equally shocked by her comment. He recovered first. "You'd be robbing the cradle, Miss Potter," he said silkily, "As that would put you at seventy-six and I'm still in my fifties." After a short pause, in which she giggled through her furious blush, he murmured, "James Potter would turn over in his _grave_ if he could hear his granddaughter say that." He, too, seemed on the verge of laughter.   
She ducked her head to prevent eye contact. This, however, made her hair tumble down into her cocoa. While she grumbled and fished a few strands out, Snape sent a spell at her and the rest of her hair suddenly began to braid itself into a long neat rope. "Hey! Not _again_…"   
The Professor was almost smiling…that is, until Sophie mumbled something under her breath and a jet of light shot from her sleeve.   
Caught totally off guard, he completely failed to dodge her hex, and wound up with two short braids that made him look rather like Pocahontas.   
"Miss Potter!" he breathed, outraged. Had she not trusted her smile's ability to charm her out of trouble, she might have worried that she'd crossed a line. As it was, though, she just grinned sweetly and told him she thought the look was stunning.   
His glare persisted until she conjured him a mirror, at which point his face underwent a strange contortion she recognized as the suppression of laughter. After waving his hand to undo the spell, he warned, "One day, you will push me too far."   
"I don't know, sir…I think I've heard enough stories to learn from everybody else's mistakes… the rules are…let's see… don't try to turn you into a werewolf, don't set your robes on fire, don't melt any more cauldrons in your class, don't make fun of your nose or hair, don't ask you to spy on any more evil wizards, don't have a scar on my forehead, and preferably don't be related to someone who does. Have I missed anything?"   
His eyes were wide. "I see that I have failed miserably where intimidation is concerned," he said finally, with a hint of ironic amusement in his voice. "I must ask you not to share the secret of your courage with anyone else, or I shall never be able to conduct a successful Potions class again."   
"Your secrets are safe with me, sir," she said, but the honesty in her tone was offset by a mischievous gleam in her eye.   
He rose and steered her towards the door. "Go to bed, Miss Potter. And don't worry. I sincerely doubt you have anything to fear."   
She nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Professor. Really." As his office door opened, they caught sight of a shadow lurking in the corridor.   
Snape grinned nastily. "Five points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter, for being out after hours. _You_, at least, are not a Prefect."   
"-for which we heartily thank the Headmaster's wisdom," Sophie muttered, but nevertheless indulged her brother's complaining all the way back out of the dungeons.   
Standing in the corridor until their footsteps died away, Snape fought a smile as the boy's whines filled the cold air. "- _still_ a mean, slimy old toad, Sophie. Really! Like it's a mortal sin to escort your sister back to her tower. I wish I knew a good greasy old hex…"   
Some things would never change.

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THE END

So. What did you think? I'm not sure which ending I like better. I kind of think Snape is too much of a jerk in the other one, but he might be too nice this time around. Could you guys please review if you have an opinion? I think I'm going to delete whichever ending nobody likes. Thanks for reading.  



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